These Broken Stars by Amie KaufmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars What a beautiful story. This story was the beginning of my interest in stories that are set in space. The plot was filled with adventure, humour and heart-melting romance. It was to the point and did not waver with unnecessary tangents that would have diminished the impact of the main story.The characters were perfectly created and developed. I loved the character of Lilac and her chemistry with Tarver. I was completely enthralled by their story and their interaction with each other.The writing was wonderful. I admired the author’s ability to create such beauty in the vast spaces of the…

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 2 of 5 stars I received a very friendly email from the Goodreads team informing me of a promotional offer by Amazon to try audiobooks for free for one month…and eventually I caved and gave this whole audiobook experience a try. Normally, I could not be persuaded, since I was always of the opinion that a narrator’s voice and their interpretation as they read the story does in fact influence one’s own experience of the story being told.The characters were generic and predictable: the male characters handsome and somewhat brooding and the female characters pretty, cunning and with ulterior motives. The protagonist…

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica KhouryMy rating: 5 of 5 stars What a wonderful story. I have always been fascinated with stories in the style of “One thousand and one nights” and to have it told from the jinni’s point-of-view was a refreshing change.The characters were all the reader could hope and wish for in a retelling of this lovely and timeless tale. Spunky and independent, Zahra is a delight to follow through her adventure with Aladdin. Perfect enough to make one wish for her happy ending, yet with enough humanity to make her relatable and realistic. The secondary characters are well created and offer enough tension and conflict to…

Warrior Witch by Danielle L. JensenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I won’t lie, the first half of the book was a bit too slow for my liking, but then again I don’t have the greatest interest or patience for strategic talk or politics. Needless to say, the second half of the conclusion of The Malediction Trilogy made up for any slowness.The main character, although not perfect and having more than one eye-roll worthy moment, was still interesting enough to follow through her adventure. I can’t really say much without giving anything away, but the last two years following this story has been a delight and I am sad that…

Mary Shelley The Dover Reader by Mary ShelleyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.I am glad I had the opportunity to read this collection of Mary Shelley’s works. They are by far the best introduction to her works I have come across and provide a greater range and breadth of Shelley’s skill as a writer.Obviously Frankenstein was the first work in this collection and simply a timeless classic.I was surprised by her short novel Mathilda, the melodrama and emotional nature of the protagonist had me wondering how much fun Shelley had writing it.I personally cannot appreciate the included…

Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders by Patrick SüskindMy rating: 5 of 5 stars That was a very interesting read. I was lucky enough to find a copy in German at my local library and decided to read it during my train ride. While reading it the world around me just disappeared.The characters, main and secondary, are extremely realistically created and portrayed. The amount of insight we get into the psychology of each character is remarkable, especially since the story never got boring for even a page.The plot was intriguing, a little bit creepy and horrifyingly human in its strangest way.The writing in German was just what I remember German…

The Rose & the Dagger by Renee AhdiehMy rating: 3 of 5 stars The much anticipated sequel to The Wrath and the Dawn, which I could not wait to read after having raced through the first book. Sadly, I was disappointed with the entire story. The strength and reserve we saw in the protagonist in the first installment turned into plain emo behaviour, isolation from people trying to help her and a sense of inflated self-worth. Her counterpart and love interest came across as a mere shell of his former self and not with respect and within the context of the story, but because of a lack commitment to the…

Unspeakable by Caroline PignatMy rating: 1 of 5 stars I was excited to read a story half set in Canada and half in the UK and on top of that it was written by a Canadian author, what was not to like? How about the fact that it was one step short of completely plagiarizing the story of Titanic? Or the inclusion of every Victorian literary cliché ever to exist? Or its complete and utter predictability? Well, I was so disappointed that I got angry. Angry that I spent time reading this story; a complete knockoff from a very popular movie that came out in 1997, which by the way…

Starflight by Melissa LandersMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I have been dying to read this book since last September. After having read two out of the three books in the Starbound series, I began searching for other stories of the same genre to get my fix of galactic travel, adventure and romance. I was not disappointed with Starflight.I liked the main character tremendously, rough around the edges, fighting to survive and make a life for herself. Logical, but with heart and a knack for machines, she was a joy to get to know. The secondary characters added great depth to a story that takes the reader across the universe.The…