Queku

Apparently I've forgotten to add this book to my shelf after a year, which sums it up pretty much.

Didn't really care for the characters or the story, although thrawn himself is pretty bad ass. I liked it at the moment, but now a year latter don't remember much of the key plot points. So it wasn't so good as I thought.

Great read, loved the characters and the story got me thrilled to the very end.
As soon as one might start to think that the plot is getting repetitive, BAM! you get a plot twist that makes the story stay fresh.
I got emotionally invested in the characters and their relationships, and i am happy with how things have turned out at the end.
I will certainly continue this series.

It keeps getting better.

I enjoyed this book more than the first one. But not enough to get 5 stars (this book is more of a 4,5 stars for me).
The characters I liked from the first book came back even stronger, and the characters I disliked from the first book in the series, had some moments that made them be more liable. I still hate Rand, but a bit less than in the first book.

Somewhere in the middle I had some PTSD from the first book because it contained once again a chase section that was to drawn out for my liking. But the ending compensates for it. I had literal goosebumps reading the last scenes.

I also got into a false sense of security, because I thought Tavaren had plot armor and nothing bad could happen, well I was wrong. There is still a safety net under our characters, but I have the feeling that this net is being slowly removed in order to increase the stakes.

All in all this series has gotten a strong start and I cant wait continue reading. I was told it get even better.

The best book in the series so far.

This book has all the positives from the previous ones and more.
The highlight of this book is in my opinion the minimal amount of Rand's POV. Throughout this book we could learn more from the side characters that were shadowed by Rand in the first book. Mainly we get a deep dive into Egwene's, Perrin's and Mat's POV's, which I loved. Mat was so overlooked in the first two novels due to the dagger, but now that we got to see him in action he got such a great glow up. Perrin is still as cute as in the previous books, but now on the main stage. And Egwene is getting more powerful and wise than before, shes such a bad ass.

Once again I had the feeling the climax was a bit rushed, but still a great ending. But I do hope that we get to appreciate future stakes battles more. Let us get a taste of an epic conclusion pls.

All in all the best book so far in a series that I'm loving.
Can't wait to keep on reading.

An absolutely beautiful story and amazing characters.
At the beginning of the story, we are dropped into an unknown land and get presented with a mysterious character. We learn both from this world, its magic, and our mysterious character through tales of the past.
I love how the storytelling is executed and how the characters are constructed. I got myself rooting for/against most of the characters. Developing an emotional bond with the story.
All in all a must-read for everyone.

A fun story that makes you think.

Animal farm tells the tale of a revolution of the animals on a farm, and how the greed for power and the manipulation of language and education can lead to disaster. Nonetheles this seemingly critical and dense topic is presented to us in a funny tale that got me laughing out loud on various occasions.

This book is commonly compared with the Russian revolution as was its original purpose, but one does not have to be familiar with that story. Since the tale told in this book is old and applicable to many governments throughout history. You don't even have to compare the story with the past since it is standing on its own and sharing its message without needing historical background.

This story got me thinking about the concept of power and the manipulation that a government can have on its people. We as the readers will notice the small changes because it is presented to us in a condensed manner, but since the story spans several years I am sure that for the animals these subtle changes were incredible, this makes me think about what our current governments may have changed our beliefs without us even knowing it.

SMALL SPOILERS AHEAD
This story is a perfect illustration of the problem with revolutions regarding the key to power. If the new government has to depend on these keys they will end up as the previous governor, or even worse. This is what we appreciate with the transformation of the pigs. The beginning of the revolution was a good time for the animals because they were self-sufficient, but the downfall came at the moment when they started to trade because they had to meet the standards of the people leading to the pigs becoming themselves people in order to meet those expectations.

EVEN BETTER THAN THE FILM

I've come to know the story from watching the movie a few years back, but let me say that it was a mistake to watch the movie instead of reading the book.
This novel got me hooked from the start with its amazing characters and story. I've found myself geeking out while reading the book with all its 80s and video game references. An absolute blast for us geeks. I also found myself rooting for the main characters and cheering aloud whenever they accomplished something awesome, something any other book has never accomplished in me.
This book also got me thinking about the consequences of absolute absorption from social media in the future and what it may suppose for us as a society. Something to be aware of with the rise and social media and the imminent era of the metaverse. This book takes place in a not-so-distant future where humans have destroyed the earth and hide from this awful planet by login into virtual reality. Society has completely isolated itself in the virtual world to the point, that people never leave their homes in their entire life, which sounds too plausible and scary in my opinion.

All in all an awesome read for us geeks or the perfect gift for your geeky friends.

Slow Start but a great ending.

I personally consider Brandon Sanderson's books to be mystery books. We are placed in a completely different world of which we have no idea and we have to figure out how the world ticks. I love having a small notebook while reading his books where I can write my discoveries and start speculating on the future reveals, half of the fun happens between reading sessions. I never get them all but somehow even if I predict a plot twist before it happens I still get pleased by seeing my theories unfolding before my own eyes, because of the journey. JOURNEY BEFORE DESTINATION. And the plot twist I don't predict lead to jaw-dropping moments where I am like... OMG how is this happening and why didn't I see that coming??? It was all there.

I can not say much about the plot because anything I could say about it could be considered a spoiler, the magic lies in discovering it on your own.
You just got to experience it yourself and figure things out by yourself, it makes it 10 times more enjoyable.

I must warn you that this book has in my opinion a very slow start. Since we have several characters we got to know them well before the story even begins. I would say I got fully invested in the story more or less 400 pages in. Many people would be put off by such a big introduction (not me), but let me tell you ... it is 100% worth it. Just push through it and you will thank me later.

All in all this book is a classic Brandon book, great while reading and between reading sessions.

It was ok...

This entry in the series has been until now the one I´ve struggled the most to get through. The story is uneventful and boring.
I understand that this book serves as a setup for a future big battle with the one that should not be named. We still have a lot to learn for a great payoff at that battle.

My main problem does not lie in the story, in fact, I found the character of Dolores Umbridge a good choice to break up the monotone and boring school year. But I believe she was an underused asset.
The greatest problem I had with this book is how unlikeable Harry Potter was. He is the main character and therefore I should support him and want the best for him, but his attitude throughout the book was simply irritating. Suddenly he becomes an egocentric idiot that thinks he now everything better than the rest of the world. Props to J.K. Rowling for writing an accurate teenage boy, but accurate teenage boys don´t make for great main characters...

I previously mentioned Dolores Ambrige to be an underused asset, and this is because the only moments in the book where I sympathized with Harry were when he was interacting with her. Turns out Dolores is a Character even more unlikeable than a teenage boy, which is great when you have her to be the main antagonist throughout the school year.
She was indeed a great antagonist, but she was just portrayed as a dumb puppet of the ministry. I would have liked her to be more mastermind evil, at the end of the day she got outsmarted by 15-year-olds several times... I would have preferred if she was always one step ahead of the main characters and they only got to outsmart her at the very end, I would surely have been a lot more satisfying in my opinion.

All in all the weakest entry in the series until the moment. The story was more interesting than the source's stone, but Harry being an ass the whole book took it down a lot and made it a chore to get through the book.

Great story ruined by a bad main character.

Just like in book 5 (The order of the Phoenix) I found during this whole novel Harry Potter was just an annoying character. It got difficult to push through the parts of the story where we follow Harry in Hogwarts, since every piece of dialog that came out of his mouth made me want to stop reading. He is an annoying, dumb and egocentric teenager (once again props to Rowling for depicting an accurate teenager, but as discussed in the review of book 5, realistic teenagers don't make great main characters). In every dialogue with other characters he acts as if he is the only one who is right, and the whole world is just dumb for not sharing his opinion.
This especially got to my nerves with his obsession with accusing Draco Malfoy. Yes he was right at the end, but that doesn't justify being so mean to your friends who are just providing logical conclusion to dismiss his unfounded arguments. Especially because all his arguments can be boiled down to: “I saw Draco being kinda sus”
Each time Harry had a dialogue I just wanted to punch him in the face, which is a bad sign if we are talking about the main character and not the villain of the story.

Am i the only one who thought that the romantic subplot with Geany came out of nowhere? or did I miss something in the previous book, because I had to push through in order to finish it?

Nonetheless this was a better book than the order of the Phoenix, yes Harry was just as annoying in both books, but the underlining story beat were a lot more interesting. I was pulled to continue reading by Toms flashbacks and the whole Horocrux plot. (Ironically in these were the ones were harry talked the least hahaha).

All in all if you've come this far continue reading there are only 2 books left in the series and you are obviously invested in the world and character, just push through Harry being a dumb Teenager.

I loved it.

I liked this entry even better than the first. John was just as well characterized as in the first one, but I had a mind shift.
Once again with the first book, the midpoint supernatural pulled me away, but in retrospect, it shouldn't. It just came off the blue like nothing. In contrast with this book I already knew was I was getting into and it made it more enjoyable. (yes I have updated my review of the first entry)

Now let's talk about the book:
Dann Wells has managed to do an amazing characterization of John Cleaver and somehow manages that empathize with a person incapable of empathizing with other persons, it just blows my mind.
I also found pretty wholesome the transformation John goes through through the book, don't get me wrong, he is messed up, but I feel like he is slowly becoming human. I also liked that we followed directly with the psychological consequences of the ending of the first book. It just leaves me wondering what a dark place will john be at the start of the third book. I just hope he doesn't give into Mr Monster.

All in all, if you liked the first one, especially if you liked John Cleaver as a character, then you should give this one a go.

AWESOME

Christopher McDougall tells us the story of a bunch of crazy people joined by their love for running, trespassing language, cultural and literal borders with no other goal than running for the sake of it and I loved it.

McDougall skillfully juggles storytelling with information, since there is a main story that pushes us forward but we are getting several tangents of backstory or information.
The book's primary focus is exploring the differences between the Tarahumara and us regarding endurance running. He also highlights small differences that anybody can apply to their runs. Since reading this book, I've been doing some experiments of my own while running and have noted a considerable improvement. I don't know if it is a placebo or something like that... but it got me out of the house and into more runs than I would have done normally and I have even started enjoying running. A sport I previously hated.

As with any “Self Help” book you have to take all the information that is given to you with a grain of salt and never do literally all that is told.
I haven't thrown all my shoes away since reading this book... But I have started paying more attention to my walking and running, being more mindful of my body.

The chapters regarding the evolution of the human for running were very interesting for me since it was the first time I've read about human evolution in a positive way. sometimes you ask yourself, how did we evolve to our present day if we are such weak members of the animal kingdom? McDougall's answer was not only refreshing from a typical pessimistic point of view but also convincing.

All in all a great book to gift any runners you know, or if you are a runner to get somebody you know to join this beautiful sport. I will continue running with a big smile on my face :)

WHAT AN AMAZING BOOK

Brandon Sanderson does it again, his books are amazing.
This is the second book in the first Mistborn trilogy. It is placed 2 years after the fall of the final empire and we are presented with the struggle to build a new government after so many years of oppression.

I have read in many reviews that this book is slow passed until the final part, and even though I agree, this does not have to be bad. I found the evolution and exploration of the “side” characters very pleasing. Since the first book was focused on the Revolution and on the background Vin's relationship with Kelsier and Elend. In this book, the tables are turned and the main focus lies on the characters and their relationship, and we find in the background the current war driving the plot forward. In this book, I've come to know and love many characters that were merely mentioned in the first book, and many of my favorite characters in this world have come through this book (i.e Sazed and OreSeur)

Although this book could be considered more of a character study the Story is also damm good. How Brandon Sanderson just presents us with small clues that with time start fitting together is amazing. And best of all is when at the end all of a sudden he just slaps you in the face with a plot twist hinted at the very beginning of the book. But somehow it all works.

All in all, I loved this book, even more than the first one.
Stop reading reviews and go read this book.

My journey reading the harry potter books continues. As I've mentioned in my previous reviews, I never read harry potter as a kid, but now in my 20s I've decided to read them and see what all the hype is about and this one was the best by far.

This entry is the best one at the moment. With a thrilling story, no deadbeats to make the book longer, and no BS to save the main character.

The fact that this book happens during the Tri-Wizzard Tournier is an excellent plus because there are events happening throughout the year and there is no dead time where nothing happens. In the other books, I felt that the book was about the school year and at the and after the exams coincidentally Voldemort strikes... It was very nice of him to wait until after the exams since it could affect the academic performance of Harry and his Friends.
But in this book, since Harry does not have to write any exams there is action all year around.

There were several great twists, which are slightly hinted at, making the twist surprising but not unbelievable. Except for one which I will be commenting on at the end since I want to keep this review spoiler free.

I also liked that this book is no longer as childish as the previous ones since this book treats more serious topics such as Death and love since harry is slowly becoming a teen. That's great writing from J.K. Rowling.

All in all, until this date my favorite Harry Potter book. I am excited for the next one since the books have gotten better with time.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
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Now I will be commenting on the one scene which I thought was a little BS.
The Duel between Harry and Voldemort. The fact that now twin Wands lock with each other and force the Previous incantation is all a bunch of BS. This scene gives me the feeling J.K. Rowling found herself in the duel and dint know how to save Harry since Voldemort would have won. It is true that he is weaker than in his prime, but harry is an inexperienced teen wizard, he doesn't stand a chance against the Dark Lord.
She could have hinted at it in the class of defense against the dark arts. We could have visited one of Lupin's classes and he could have mentioned: “btw twin wands when they fight against each other they lock and one of them makes the other cast all previous spells in reverse order.”. Just the same explanation that Dumbledore gives, but between phases of the Tri-Wizard Tournier. Or maybe the Waesly twins could have twin wands (bc they are twins idk) and in the summer when Harry is visiting for the Quidich Championship, they could start an argument and fire at each other, such that Harry sees that twin Wands can indeed lock.
Don't Interpret me wrong, I don't have a problem with the wands locking but at least mentioned it before it happens.
Al in all this not a deal breaker, I still enjoyed this book a lot.

Great story but an unsatisfying ending.

I listened to the audiobook and I recommend you do the same. This book is the true crime rip-off podcast of a college student trying to catch a serial killer. Since it is a podcast it is enjoyed the best if listened to like a podcast.

The story got me hooked from the beginning, the mysterious case presented and all those unanswered questions made me power through in order to get more clues. I basically listened to the whole book in two sessions.
I really like the participation of Dan Wells in this project, he really knows how to tell a great story about serial killers and how to juggle comedy and horror. I'm looking forward to more collaborations in the cosmere.

I have no problem with the story, I think it is excellent. My problem comes with the conclusion. I had the feeling it was a little bit rushed and left many unanswered questions... Who is the emerald wizard? What are his goals? Why does he want the music bow if the Hollywood killer has several artifacts with the same effect? Why can't he be seen or described? What is the Hollywood killer? Where is he from? Why does he insist on the end to be killed? I believe this is the case because it is a prequel or a setup for future novels, so no big deal.

What annoys me the most is the scene in the car right before the final face-off. Our two main characters are affected by the curse which means that nobody can remember them, but they can remember each other (assuming the emerald wizard wasn't lying about that too, but it could have been checked very easily... they've been resetting the whole day) and they decide to smash the music box making the curse permanent. Later we figure out that the smashing of the music box broke the curse (kinda lame ngl).
Now let's assume the smashing of the box wouldn't break the curse or that instead of smashing it the friend queeps it. Then the plan would have to turn out the same because when the main character is dragged inside the house since the friend is also cursed she would have remembered and the swats would have broken in, or the police would have remembered because the main character would not have the box (that's at the end of the day the one debility of the Hollywood killer). And the epilogue would be how the two main characters are happy because they are fucked, but at least together.
I don't know if this hypothetical ending would have been any better, but the smashing of the box reversing the curse feels like a cheap conclusion. It is true that our only source of information on the magic system is an influenced informer with his own motivations. But I still don't understand why the Emerald Wizard wanted the curse to remain but he also wanted to stop the Hollywood killer.

In conclusion, I still have a lot of questions that I want to answer, I will check the dark one novel once it comes out, until then I will continue conspiring for possible explanations.

Must Read

It is a high pace thriller, that will leave you on the edge of your seat through the whole story. Plot twist after plot twist your mind will be blown.
Sager's writing stile is somehow able to draw a perfect picture of what is happening without boring us with endless descriptions. He also manages to write a compelling and fully fleshed story in on of the most boring settings ever.
His writing stile is simply addicting, you will power through this book in no time.