READING: The Last Wish (The Witcher #0.5) by Andrzej Sapkowski

Publication date: December 14 2008

Published by: Orbit

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Kings, Magic, Mystery, Romance, Violence

Rating: 

Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. 

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good... and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

This is chock-full of spoilers, so please don't read it unless you have watched The Witcher Season 1. 

I am not even going to pretend otherwise - I only picked this up because of Henry Cavill and the show The Witcher. 
But mostly for Cavill. Because, you know. I only had a crush on him since The Tudors, no big deal.

So, the book. Right. Most of it is already depicted in the show and it too plays with timelines a lot.
Geralt is way more talkative in the book than he is in the show. I have to admit I liked book Geralt better. He was more real and, if not relatable, then more human and down to earth rather than super hero-ish, paranormal hottie. Again, nothing wrong with that but I prefer my characters to have feelings and emotions once in a while. 
Yennefer was on the same boat-the show focused more on her transformation and how gorgeous and dark and mysterious she is now, rather than her power and personality. Actually, it's mentioned in the book that Geralt initially thought she wasn't even that good looking:

...Yennefer, although attractive in her own way, couldn't pass as a great beauty.

In fact, it was stated that all sorceress had to go through a transformation to become pretty because of their profession and they were described as "pseudo pretty" with "cold eyes of ugly girls". That was still shown in the show, but I think the message was undercut a bit by how stunning Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) was. 

Renfri's story - the fight scene between her and Geralt kicked ass in the show; beautifully choreographed and shot. Geralt's devastation over killing Renfri was more believable in the show but again, their interaction just didn't have the same impact as in the book. 

I have to say, the translation was not the best for me. The edition I got from the library was old and I don't know if there is a new one out there, but the dialogue was very stilted in parts and words weren't really flowing. Originally, the book came out in 1993 so I kind of get it, translating game wasn't that great back then. I'm told Sword of Destiny is better, so we'll see.

All in all, I enjoyed the show as much as the book. I think Geralt and Yennefer's characters were more explored in the book in comparison to the show which was way flashier.
I'd suggest you watch the book first and then watch the show.

READING: The Outsider by Stephen King

Publication date: May 22 2018

Published by: Scribner

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Horror, Crime, Dark, Mystery, Some Paranormal, Suspense 

Rating: 

When an eleven-year-old boy is found murdered in a town park, reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town's popular Little League coach, Terry Maitland, as the culprit. DNA evidence and fingerprints confirm the crime was committed by this well-loved family man.

Horrified by the brutal killing, Detective Ralph Anderson, whose own son was once coached by Maitland, orders the suspect to be arrested in a public spectacle. But Maitland has an alibi. And further research confirms he was indeed out of town that day.

As Anderson and the District Attorney trace the clues, the investigation expands from Ohio to Texas. And as horrifying answers begin to emerge, so King's propulsive story of almost unbearable suspense kicks into high gear.

Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy but there is one rock-hard fact, as unassailable as gravity: a man cannot be in two places at the same time. Can he?

I can't believe I'm saying this, but The Outsider TV show is way better :/ The first 4 episodes gave me nightmares and I will never forget the image of a bloody Jason Bateman 😖

That being said, the story is 100% King, and it is horrifying. I would have liked it to be less paranormal and more "we all have an evil twin out there somewhere", but anyway. I felt like it dragged a lot towards the end and apart from Holly and Ralph, all the other characters are almost invisible. Even Terry and Jack - especially Jack with literally no backstory whatsoever. Come to think of it, never really saw much of a connection between Holly and Ralph either :/
Also I am sorry to say, but the dialogue Holly and Ralph had with the "thing" at the end, was almost comical. No idea how it's going to be show on TV.

All in all, first half of the book was great because the story draws you in. Once you realise what is going on, it gets boring really fast. Imagine that almost half of the book could fit into 3 episodes= 3hours. Yikes.

READING: Inexpressible Island (End of Forever #3) by Paullina Simons

Publication date: July 23 2019
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Mystery, Suspense, Time Travel, Romance

Rating: 

Julian has lost everything he ever loved and is almost out of time. His life and death struggle against fate offers him one last chance to do the impossible and save the woman to whom he is permanently bound.

Together, Julian and Josephine must wage war against the relentless dark force that threatens to destroy them. This fight will take everything they have and everything they are as they try once more to give each other their unfinished lives back.

As time runs out for the star-crossed lovers, Julian learns that fate has one last cruel trick in store for them--and even a man who has lost everything still has something left to lose.

Gut wrenching but still beautiful, the last instalment in End of Forever had it all (well, almost). 

This series might have been about two people's epic love story in the beginning but I think in the end, it was all about Julian and about his personal journey as a son, a friend, a partner. He is the main focus of Inexpressible Island and Mia just compliments his story. 
I have to hand it to Simons, her storytelling is magnificent. All the twists and turns will have you sitting at the edge of your seat going "No way!" almost throughout. She knew where she was going with the story from the first page of the first book and it showed. The way the story came together was the most beautiful part of the book for me.
What made me drop one star, was the actual ending. Not that it was particularly bad, but after all this anticipation about what would happen on Julian's last journey, it was a bit anticlimactic imo. I personally don't think a HEA suited these two. I know Julian and Mia had been through so much and they deserved it, but a happy ending comes in many forms. It doesn't always mean 

a beautiful wife and a baby.

shoved in the last 10 pages. I didn't like that history was re-written to their advantage with no actual reasoning. Unless 

it was confirmed that Julian did that full circle "meet Mia-time travel-get lost in the caves-meet Mia" multiple times and the re-writing of history is finally him being lucky and living the best version out of 10 or 100 of tries. Then, yes. I accept the ending. But none of that was made certain. Maybe it was sort of implied, but I can't be sure. Honestly, after Julian got rescued and he "started" his life again and met Mia, I had this sense of foreboding, emotionally preparing for her to die. But not only she didn't die, everything was changed on top of that and I thought "Oh, Ok. Was that it? Why didn't he do that from the beginning then if that's all it took...?" Also, at some point I thought that Mia is the one who time-travelled and came to find him for a change the way she was written, acting all obsessed with Julian from day one. But no, not even that. So even though I was very satisfied with how Julian's story turned out, I was disappointed in how Mia's story concluded. Then again, I was never fond of Mia :/

To readers starting this series now: if you get past the 1st half of book 1, then you are good to go. It only gets better from there.
Paullina Simons is a master when it comes to epic romances, end of story.
Remember: this is a deeply heartbreaking story, bordering on really depressing. Not for the faint of heart.

READING: Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Publication date: October 8 2019

Published by: Flatiron Books

Genre: Adult, College, Contemporary, Paranormal, Dark, Crime, Mystery, Suspense

Rating: 

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

I don’t know where to start with this book 🤔

As soon as I finished the Six of Crows duology, I immediately went to Goodreads to see what is coming up from Leigh Bardugo. When saw that The Ninth House was scheduled for late 2019, I almost wet my pants! I love books about college and at that point I was obsessed with Bardugo. So her writing an adult book about secret societies in Yale was just too much for me. Needless to say, that since then (April 2017), The Ninth House was the most anticipated book release for me. I was 100% sure it would be the most amazing, awesome book I had ever read (not having high expectations AT ALL!). 
After the initial lukewarm and straight up bad reviews, I was a bit disappointed but my interest and excitement never wavered. I just had to get my hands on this book! 

Long story short, the book was great but not what I was expecting at all 😕
I wanted intrigue, mystery, secrets and in part I got all that, but I didn’t expect the paranormal element to be so prominent, it threw me off a little bit. I would have much preferred a contemporary novel. But that’s on me, it has nothing to do with the quality of the book itself.

Another thing I didn't expect was how gritty and, for lack of a better word, miserable this book is. There is no respite from the constant reminder that people are horrible, bad guys always win and life is pointless.
In other words: it was such a downer. And I like downer books, but that was overkill. The hardest thing for me and the reason I didn’t quite get into it as much as I would have liked, was the fact that I didn’t really care for anyone. Alex was the ultimate anti-heroine and a very difficult person to like. The rest of the characters were all pretty terrible except for:

1.Alex’s friends, whose bubbliness was completely out of place and made them stand out like unicorns in a tar pit
2. and Darlington, who was the best part of the book for me, regretfully cut very short. Hopefully, he gets a much bigger presence in book 2 but I have to be honest: it took a lot out of me to read book 1 (three weeks to be exact) a lot of perseverance and patience, so forgive me if I can’t even think about book 2 right now.

All that aside, there were times where Bardugo’s brilliant writing and vision shone very brightly. Like for instance when

Alex goes to the Underworld to strike a deal with North, I thought it was such an awesome scene. I really liked North and Alex together.

 
Or when 

the night at Ground Zero was described -like watching Kill Bill-that good. Or gross and disgusting, depending on your view.

Speaking of disgusting, that whole thing with Blake: Nah, it didn’t bother me at all. He deserved way worse.

To conclude this pretty lengthy and all over the place review, I get why people didn’t like the Ninth House. Most of Bardugo’s readers are YA readers and even though it was mentioned sooooo many times that this is an adult book, Bardugo’s fans would still read it and of course get disappointed because this is DEFINITELY NOT a YA book. 
Personally, I would have liked it to have been more fast-paced and a lot less bleak. If I don’t have someone to root for or care for what happens to them, I kinda lose interest. Hero/villain it doesn't matter, as long as they are gripping enough to get me invested. So, please bring Darlington back OK? 

READING: Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios

Publication date: June 13 2017

Published by: Henry Holt & Co

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Dark, Self-Harm, Abuse, Mystery, Sexual Assault 

Rating:

Grace wants out. Out of her house, where her stepfather wields fear like a weapon and her mother makes her scrub imaginary dirt off the floors. Out of her California town, too small to contain her big city dreams. Out of her life, and into the role of Parisian artist, New York director—anything but scared and alone.

Enter Gavin: charming, talented, adored. Controlling. Dangerous. When Grace and Gavin fall in love, Grace is sure it's too good to be true. She has no idea their relationship will become a prison she's unable to escape. 

Deeply affecting and unflinchingly honest, this is a story about spiraling into darkness—and emerging into the light again.

Bad Romance was a very hard book to read. I constantly felt threatened and afraid while at the same time, I couldn't put it down.
That's the power of a great writer and of ,what has got be, one of the best books I read this year.

You probably already know, but Bad Romance contains many, many triggers about emotional, physical and sexual abuse. If you have been abused or know someone that has, this might be a bit difficult for you to go through and I completely get if someone chooses not to read it.
It wasn't easy.

Grace leaves in an abusive home. Her mum is married to a horrible man who physically abuses and belittles her and consequently she takes it out on Grace. Grace is made to do all housework to perfection and if not, she is given the most severe and absurd punishments. No wonder that after falling head over heels with Gavin, a teenage rock god and senior at her school, she doesn't see the level of his abuse straight away, putting it down to him being protective and caring about her.

When I was in my 20s, I heard my mom telling stories about friends of hers being talked down to and beaten by their partners and were in general extremely unhappy in their marriages. As far as I know these women are still married to the same men to this day. I remember thinking: "What, are they fucking stupid? Why don't they leave?" I'll admit, I was very judgmental and quite ignorant back then, mostly because I grew up in a safe and loving family and I just couldn't understand why these women didn't just leave. Simple. Just open the door and never look back.
As I got older, I had a rude awakening and my bubble was not only burst, but shattered into million pieces. I found out firsthand how abuse can be so subtle and fine that it is almost undetectable (definitely by the people involved) and how you can stay in an abusive relationship without even realising that it is harmful. As for leaving? Ha. Not even on the table.

That is what happened to Grace. She knew after a while (you cannot not know, it's impossible) that she was unhappy and she could not live that way anymore but she just couldn't leave. Reasons varied from lack of self respect ("I'm never gonna find anyone like him to like me back"), complete denial ("But he loves me and I love him") to emotional manipulation ("If you leave me, I will kill myself"). Whatever the reason, the answer to her friends demanding that she break up with him was always "I can't". 

The level of abuse Grace had to suffer was beyond anything I could imagine. It was A LOT, but I liked the fact that she remained real throughout. She didn't turn from victim to super hero in one day, or had a completely unwarranted and out of character reaction, which if I'm being honest, at that point, I could believe even that. To see that kind of trauma painfully unravel in front of me little by little, I didn't even know what reaction would be "suitable".
I also really loved the ending, and I think it is a clear message to all women out there.

Grace went to Gavin and told him for a second time that she is breaking up with him, for real this time. There was no begging from his part, no tearing of clothes, no tears, certainly no killing himself. And then Grace opened the door and just left.

That goes to show that a lot of times we embellish things and situations in our heads so much that it's almost paralysing, when it's very very simple. And when we do take that leap, we see how much time we wasted being inactive and unhappy.
OBVIOUSLY not all situations are the same! and if you find it impossible to walk out and say enough is enough, I get it. It is extremely hard, nobody saying it's not. That is why you need a good support system or if you don't have that, please find someone with the knowledge and expertise to help you. Reach out, because it's definitely not something you can do on your own.

As much as I hated Grace's parents (no excuses for her mum, she was horrible, awful and she should be institutionalised, if not imprisoned), I think Gavin's parents were worse. They were not doing him any favours by piling on his deluded dream of getting married to Grace and getting an apartment and all that crap. I mean they were barely 19 years old and Gavin was mentally unstable, he was on medication. They should have paid closer attention to him and not emotionally manipulate Grace into staying with him. Maybe I'm being harsh, I don't know. I understand that they loved him, but you can't be blind to anything else that is going on.

Bad Romance was exquisite, but I'm not gonna lie, I struggled with it. On an emotional level, it took me back to a state of mind where I swore I'd never be again, and I found I needed a long break from reading after I finished it.
That said, it was amazingly written and I don't regret picking it up for a second. 
It made my heart bleed, but I loved it.

A dear friend of mine was hospitalised earlier this year because of something her husband did to her, I don't want to go into details. She could have died, that's how bad she was. After months in the hospital and clinics and therapy, she went to live with her mom. In one of our calls, she admitted to me that she misses her husband because, and I quote: "He is the only one who gets me". I think that says a lot about an abused woman's mindset.

READING: A Beggar's Kingdom (End of Forever #2) by Paullina Simons

Publication date: July 23 2019
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Mystery, Suspense, Time Travel, Romance
Rating: 

Sometimes a second chance is your only hope. 

Is there a fate beyond the fates? Julian has failed Josephine once. Despite grave danger and impossible odds, he is determined to do the unimaginable and try again to save the woman he loves. 

What follows is a love story like no other as the doomed lovers embark on an incredible adventure across time and space. Racing through history and against the merciless clock, they face countless dangers and deadly enemies. 

Living amid beauty and ecstasy, bloodshed and betrayal, each time they court and cheat death brings Julian and Josephine closer to an unthinkable sacrifice and a confrontation with the harshest master of all...destiny. 

THIS BOOK PIERCED RIGHT THROUGH MY CHEST, TOOK MY HEART OUT AND SLOWLY CRUSHED IT UNDER ITS BOOT. 

WHY BOOK??😭😭

Julian’s and Josephine’s love story achieves epic proportions in book 2, as Julian time travels 4 times (yes, 4) in different periods starting from 1600s+ to early 1900s. 

I cannot write a proper review without including spoilers, so for those of you who haven’t read book 2, steer clear.
Also, just a warning: this review is going to be super long because I am going to comment on each time travel period individually.

Julian first time travels to 1665. I liked his journey to the other side better in book 1 (the leap) than the caves in book 2. Because the time travelling itself happens very early in the book (page 20 or so), it felt a bit sudden and awkward to me. I didn’t like Josephine-Mallory – not a big surprise there- and I couldn’t help but wonder why Julian puts himself through all that crap to be with this person who is so obviously cunning and manipulative.
This time around she is a thief and a murderer. She actually told Julian that he ruined her plans to become wealthy with his love, and I don’t think she would have any qualms about hurting Julian to get what she wanted. And the funny part is that Julian knew that and was still willing to sacrifice everything for her. So, yeah. I found that very farfetched (even for time travel!) and ridiculous. When they try to escape through the great fire of London she dies and he is brought back.

The second time Julian time travelled, he landed on 1775 right in the most poor, dangerous and disgusting part of London. Josephine-Miri was a thief and a small time con artist. Herself, her mom and a couple others in her gang, basically live in the streets which are full of diseases and infections. Yeah, not a happy place. Julian even says “Everything stinks, every minute of every day”. I guess he meant it both metaphorically and literally. I think Julian (and the reader) is at his most miserable on this timeline. He is desperately trying to earn Josephine-Miri's love knowing he only has 49 days and she doesn’t even acknowledge his existence, she wants nothing to do with him. When he finally gets her to come around and run away together, they are ambushed by her old gang who betrays her, and both of them are sentenced to public abuse and humiliation, basically setting them up on the pillory and having the public throwing stuff at them. How's that for dismal gloom and doom uh? It was as depressing as it sounds and to see Julian's utter devastation as he realises he is brought back to the present without having achieved anything, was too much for my poor heart to take.

Present :
Ashton, man. I mean, what was that? I wanted to punch him in the face and throw the book out the window. Nothing, and I mean nothing, Ashton had been through in his life could justify his actions. He was a lying, cheating dog. End of story. I hated Julian trying to justify his behaviour to Z. “He is who he is and you knew when you chose him”. No, dude. It doesn’t work like that. Not everything is justified by “It is what it is”, I don’t accept it. Be a man and take some responsibility for your shitty behaviour.
Also, what happened to Riley stayed with me for a long time after I read it. At first, I thought it was such a cheap shot and a belittlement of Riley’s character. I didn’t want Ashton to be cast as this important and impactful presence in Riley’s life whose absence and betrayal made her to literally go mad. After mulling it over, I thought of Z.'s ending and how these two girls, with completely different backgrounds, decided to make different decisions and take different paths in life after such a loss and sense of abandonment. So even though Riley’s demise for lack of a better word still chafes, I understand why Simons wanted to make that comparison and contradiction. 

The third time Julian travelles was to 1854 and this was hands down my favourite period. It was the first time I actually liked Jospehine-Mirabelle. She didn’t put on airs, she was respectful and humble with poise without being rigid and cold. She fell in love with Julian straight away without it being obnoxious insta love. It was the first time it was hinted that Jospehine-Mirabelle knew Julian already, and their coming together was just glorious. I loved everything in that story, except for the ending of course which was- surprise surprise! super tragic. Regardless of their ending it was the only time that I actually believed their eternal love, connection and devotion to each other. If Josephine was like that in book 1, it would be just perfect. 
Also, the Jon Snow reference killed me!

Present:
Ashton’s death shook me, I am not gonna lie. I detested him after what he did to those girls but the way his death was written was just soul crushing. I was sad for him sure, but mostly I was sad for Julian and all the loss he suffered and how he still soldiered on driven by his love for this one girl. Sounds super cheesy I know, but Simons is just that good: she makes you care about the most unlikeable characters and have all these deep feelings about the corniest situations.

The fourth and final time, Julian travelled to 1911 and this time he lands in New Zealand where “Josephine’s” mum took her, after she had a gypsy warn her about her daughter’s curse. They have all been waiting for Julian as this "mystery man" who would come and save “Josephine” from the curse. This story was the most difficult one to wrap my mind around as I was an emotional and mental wreck by that point. This timeline is very dark, and it reminded me a lot of the feeling I got when watching Twin Peaks. That sense of foreboding, of always being in danger. I especially liked Julian’s scene with Edgar Evans. I liked the directness and how it played out, finally showcasing a strong minded man other than Julian. Bit of a dick, but hey, so is Julian if we’re being honest.

All in all, A Beggar’s Kingdom was a quite long, massively depressing read. Reason being, the absence of multiple POVs so the reader is constantly attacked by Julian’s extremely dark thoughts and feelings with no possible escape.
Simon outdid herself once again with her outstanding writing. If the same story was written by anyone else, I would never have made it to book 2. Obviously, there were parts I liked more and parts that made me very angry. I thought to myself many times "Do I actually like this book? I don't like any of the characters."
The answer is yes. As long as a book is unputdownable and it makes me think and feel things, it's the bomb as far as I'm concerned. 

Let’s hope for a great conclusion in Inexpressible Island (book 3) coming out November 2019.

READING: The Verdict by Olivia Isaac Henry

Publication date: August 12 2019

Published by: One More Chapter

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Crime, Suspense, Mystery

Rating:

A cheating wife. An estranged mother. But is she guilty of murder? 

Please raise your right hand.
An affair at work has cost Julia Winter her job and her marriage. There’s no denying she has let her family down.
 Please remain standing.
When a body is discovered on the North Downs, it hits local headlines. But for Julia, the news is doubly shocking because the body was buried just opposite the house she lived in over twenty years ago. And it is one of her former housemates.
 Please resume your seat.
Up on the stand, Julia’s not the only person to have secrets that are unearthed during the trial. But the evidence against her is overwhelming.
 
And yet one question remains: is she the murderer, or the victim?
 
Jurors, you may be excused.

What a find!
I knew nothing about The Verdict going in; only that it was a mystery/thriller and judging by the title, I assumed there was a court case involved somehow..? 
I was really pleasantly surprised by The Verdict. Well, as pleasantly surprised as someone can be by the horrible things that happen to the characters. 

I know it’ll sound strange, but I loved how plain Julia was. You know how in books the main characters no matter how hard they try to be written as “simple”, they still have a characteristic, a trait that makes them different? Too smart, too pretty, too cynical, too optimistic whatever it is, it’s something that makes them stand out in a way? Julia had none of that, and as a reader I really appreciated it. She was described as completely unremarkable and un-noteworthy. She was living a pretty sad life but she never blamed anyone else but herself. She knew she was a passive pushover and that would probably never going to change. She was still judgemental of others though, a trait I’m pretty sure she got from her mom with whom she didn’t have the best relationship. She easily judged others for making wrong choices while she was fully aware that she made worse. She was a very confused, sad woman and I felt so sorry for her. That is why I occasionally love reading books from non-American authors. I find them to be much more raw and real as opposed to American novels which tend to be a bit more glamorised for the masses.
The rest of the characters were equally well crafted (especially Genevieve-loved her!) and they all had an important part to play, they weren’t just background noise. 

The story was great, even though it lacked the huge big finish. I expected that though, since it’s easy to predict what will happen in the end from early on. There was one thing I definitely did not see coming and it was a pretty good “twist” but as far as the main story is concerned, it was simple and there is nothing wrong with that. A lot of emphasis was given on the trial and the suspects’ testimonies which had me sitting on the edge of my seat.

The only thing I didn’t particularly like was how Julia’s relationship with her mother gets fixed with a bland “I didn’t know” from her mother in the end. I don’t think it’s an adequate enough excuse after a lifetime of putting her down and never taking her side.
Also, don’t get discouraged if you find it quite slow pacing at first. It picks up after 35% or so.
There was a lot of back and forth with different periods of time, and even though I don't mind when it is done properly and the reader knows where and when they are the entire time like this one, some people may find it confusing and tiring so I thought I'd let you know.

I went through a lot of “Read now” books on NetGalley to find The Verdict and I’m glad I did. It was a powerful and realistic take on an abused woman’s life, and where her unassertiveness and very bad decisions led her. I’d recommend it to mystery and courtroom drama fans.

READING: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Publication date: August 28 2012
Published by: Bloomsbury
Genre: New Adult, MM, Romance, Historical 
Rating: 

Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice. 

Screw Romeo and Juliet. 

THIS the most epic love story of all time!

How can you review a book that is absolute perfection? How much can you gush over something you love? I feel like Chiron when, after seeing Achilles unique prowess, told him “I have nothing to teach you.” I seriously have nothing to say about the Song of Achilles that would do it justice, it’s that good.

I knew Miller is an exceptional writer (Circe is another masterpiece of hers I read last year) so I knew going in that I was at least going to like the Song of Achilles. What I didn’t expect was a deeply emotional and sensitive page turner of a book about the life journey of two boys in Ancient Greece.
Having the story and world building practically already mapped out, Miller has plenty of time to explore her characters and does so beautifully. I love that there is such a linear progression to her characters growth, we see them from a very young age growing and developing through the pages, steadily, almost respectfully, like every detail of their lives matters in how their personalities are eventually shaped. Nothing is left to chance and nothing seems out of place. Miller doesn’t choose the easy way out, there are no repeats of done-to-death tropes and that’s what makes her writing so unique and extraordinary.

Yes, the Song of Achilles was a great love story between Achilles and Patroclus, but for me it goes beyond that. What those two had was way more than simple love for each other. The level of devotion and the pure idolisation Patroclus had for Achilles was unreal. I do not doubt for a second that Achilles felt the same for Patroclus (he was the one who initially approached him after all) but in a slightly different way, which to some might not be quite enough, and maybe it wasn’t. Because Patroclus love for Achilles was so intense, any show of affection from Achilles could not possibly compare. Patroclus dreamed of kids and another life but he would happily put all his wants aside for Achilles, just to be with him and die with him. Achilles wouldn’t, at least not that easily, and Patroclus knew that very well. And he still loved him all the same.

The Song of Achilles is a tale of two boys with an unbreakable bond. It is a tale of war, death and destruction, but also of friendship, love, loyalty and forgiveness. 
In an nutshell, an absolute must-read.

The next day...
I can't stop thinking about this book you guys, and that very rarely happens to me. The effect it had on me is remarkable and it will always have a special place in my heart. 💖

-------------------

Because I have seen some crazy shit in some reviews, I feel the need to address some of it:

Mythology comes from the Greek words "mythos" which means legend and "logia" which means words, coming from the verb "legw" which means speak.
So, mythology is just that: stories, fables, fiction, basically a total fib. You can twist it any way you like and give it the shape you want. You cannot be "disrespectful" to mythology even if you tried, such thing is a paradox, it doesn't exist.
I am Greek and I studied Ancient Greek and Latin for 4 years in high school and I am telling you now I wouldn’t give a fuck and certainly wouldn’t be offended if Miller wanted to make Achilles a flamboyant drag queen from San Francisco or a surfer dude from the Gold Coast, who cares? She writes fiction, she is not a scholar. Stop picking everything apart and try enjoying books more would be my suggestion. Or read non-fiction, that could be a choice. 

And one more thing: if you don't like MM romance, don't read MM romance! It is really that simple.

READING: Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake #1) by Rachel Caine

Publication date: July 1 2017
Published by: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Violence, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime
Rating: 

Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.

With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.

But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop.

This is the first Rachel Caine book I've read after finishing the Morganville Vampire series. 
So, a looong time.

Stillhouse Lake is very different than MV. Not only story wise, or that it's not paranormal, but most importantly the writing. I could not find Rachel Caine anywhere in the book, nothing reminded me of her writing style. That wasn't necessarily bad, it just took me aback a bit. 

Stillhouse started off great-horrifying story of a woman who finds out her husband is a monster, and her struggle to reinvent herself while simultaneously trying to protect her two kids from people who want to hurt her.
The story kept my attention for the first half, but after that the pace slowed down significantly and I was quite honestly, bored. 

It didn't help that I didn't really connect with the MC, Gina/Gwen. She was so obsessed over protecting her kids from invisible internet people that wanted to do them harm, that she couldn't see what living in that constant state of paranoia was really doing to her kids. I mean sure, the lady was scarred for life after what she went through, but why do her kids need to be reminded of it everyday? A bit of normalcy is what they needed and she just couldn't see it. When she realised it and tried to give it to her kids, she went so off character, that it just didn't work.
Also, I didn't like that her acquittal was just brushed off with no further details. Other things of little importance were explained to death, but this? How did a woman who lived under the same roof as a serial killer, who had all these dead bodies in her garage, got acquitted so easily and quickly? Doesn't make much legal sense.

The ending was very convenient (she knew how to extensively search for people who thought she was guilty and wanted to punish her, but not for copycats....?), with an anticipated cliff-hanger.
There were also a lot of red herrings throughout the book - Gina/Gwen was so convinced that so and so was the creep stalking them, that she made me change my mind completely about that person, only for her to be completely wrong, and I was forced to go back liking them. That happened with ALL the characters in the book, so in the end I knew who the bad guy was by method of elimination.

I am a bit disappointed at this book, considering its very strong start. But as thriller books go, I've definitely read better ones.

READING: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Publication date: October 8 2019
Published by: Wednesday Books
Genre: New Adult, Dystopian, Violence, Mystery, Suspense, Dark, Romance
Rating: 

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

Girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for their chance to grab one of the girls in order to make their fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

To be at odds with your nature, what everyone expects from you, is a life of constant struggle. 

The Grace Year is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated YA dystopian books of the year. With its Handmaid Tale-ish feel, both of them being, more or less, feminist manifestos, it has definitely managed to create a buzz around it, and for good reason.

Make no mistake: The Grace Year is advertised and marketed as a YA book, but it is brutal, raw and chock full of violence.

The story is about Tierney and her Grace Year-an annual ceremony all the 16 year old girls of the county must go through in order to cleanse themselves of their magic that has been known to affect men, and come back a year later purified and ready to wed. They are sent off to a remote campground, forced to live under disgusting conditions, very few resources, and the fear that if they step out, they will get grabbed by poachers, who would kill them, skin them alive and sell their magic-soaked parts for a small fortune.
Doesn't that sound horrifying?

The whole concept of the Grace Year is a symbolism of the absolute disregard and pure hatred the men of the county, the pious and upstanding citizens, have for the women's existence, their daughters', their nieces', their friends'. They want them out of their sight so they are not tempted to have them near during puberty, only to return (if they return), already someone else's property. It is obvious that the men fear the women's strength and power and they are doing everything they can to constantly put them down and make them turn against each other.
In other words, welcome to planet Earth 2019.

Plot wise, The Grace Year was simply amazing. Even though it was a difficult story to get through and it made me feel dirty and disgusting throughout, I loved its originality and I wholeheartedly felt all the rage and heart break Liggett poured into it. Her writing and use of symbolisms and allegories were spot on (the use of flowers to express emotions even in a dreary and awful place such as the county was brilliant).
If I had one tiny complaint it would be about how fast paced the book was, especially in the beginning. Parts that were important and they should have been focused on more, got kinda swept under the rug, and I found myself getting whiplash from how quickly the scenes changed.
Also, apart from four big chapters and an epilogue, the book doesn't have any other breaks in between which made it hard to read at times. I got confused when the story went from here to there, day to night, with no indication of a change. 
More paragraphs would have been great and less ellipses even greater!
That being said, this is an ARC, so I hope the final book will be more carefully edited before it gets published. 

Tierney I liked enough but definitely not a huge fan. I was all for what she was representing and her loyalty and self sacrificing nature, but not being privy to much information about her before the Grace Year, it was hard for me to understand where her martyr syndrome came from. Yes, I got that she always had a rebellious side but how come, all of a sudden from day one, did she decide to save all the girls and change the status quo in the county, when she hadn't spared the girls one thought before the Grace Year? Also, for all her talk of a revolution, she was too quick to ride off to the sunset with Ryker when it suited her, and not only leave the Grace Year girls behind, but leave all her family behind and risk them getting severely punished for her desertion. I thought it was very selfish of her and very out of character, when she was presented as nothing but incredibly altruistic up until then.

I didn't really have any problem with the rest of the characters, I liked them all. All the Grace Year girls were fantastic, Tierney's mom, Ryker, but mostly Michael, representing the 1% of the male population supportive of the change, which I think is pretty accurate, if not optimistic. A meager percentage, but we'll take what we can get.

The Grace Year speaks to the heart of all the women who just have had enough. Women who have been wronged, put down, repressed and silenced for way too long. 
Even though its start is bleak, there is a clear and very optimistic message in its heartbreaking ending: if we stand together, there is nothing we can't accomplish. Things can and will change.
It's as simple as that.

Snatched it from NetGalley when it was up for grabs for like a day or two. I DID NOT request it.