Rank it: Lux

Over the course of the last months I read all five books of the Lux series and I liked it a lot. It was a fun read and highly enjoyable. I liked all five books so this ranking does not mean that some books were bad. I just liked some books even more than others. And yes, the covers are unbelievable cheesy and awful.

 

Lux#5 Opposition (Book 5)

Unfortunately this conclusion of the Lux series felt rushed and not really thought trough for me. I hated the beginning. Really hated it. I thought about putting the book down because it was so bad for me. Also the writing stood out to me in this book but not in a good way. The writing was bad and felt like it should be how teenagers speak but it was just not. I liked the epilogue though and the quitter scenes with Katy and Daemon so the book was not totally bad.

 

 

 

 

 

Lux

#4 Opal (Book 3)

This book was a typical in between book. Nothing much happens. The thing with the Opal was annoying and everything that happens is predictable. Of course at the ending Daemon and Katy get separated, who didn’t see that coming? And why trust Blake? I did not care for any other characters than Katy and Daemon. They had some cute moments together but I was happy that this book was over.

 

 

 

 

 

Lux

#3 Onyx (Book 2)

This book was okay. I liked that finally things happen and that there was more action. But Katy was so stupid. All the lying and not trusting Daemon was idiotic. Why doesn’t she trust him? Of course, because of her bad judgment and pride so much bad is happening to her, Daemon and his family. I must say the ending was good and it got me to want to read the next book soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Lux

#2 Obsidian (Book 1)

I really liked the first book even if it makes clear that this book series will be shallow and superficial. But somehow it was still a fun and fast read. I wanted a series to read between fantasy and dystopian books that is light and simple, and the Lux series was perfect for that. The first book was so similar to twilight that is kind of funny to read. The ending was a mess and the writing not really great but besides that the scenes between Daemon, Dee and Katy were not bad. I loved the scenes they had in the high school and at least Katy does not let Daemon walk all over her.

 

 

 

 

Lux

#1 Origin (Book 4)

This was by far my favourite book in the series. It was fast paced and we discover so many new things about the aliens and the government. Katy and Daemon were so cute together end the entire book kept me at the edge of my seat. I wanted to know what happened with them and I wanted to know more about the Origin. This really pushed me to reading the last book in the series.

 


Dangerous Creatures

English version below

Dangerous Creatures 1Dangerous Creatures ist eine Spin-Off Buchserie von Kami Garcia und Margaret Stohl, die aus der Beautiful Creatures Reihe entstanden ist. Das Buch handelt über Ridley Duchannes und ihren Freund Wesley „Link“ Lincoln auf ihrem Weg nach New York. Link träumt davon, dort die große Karriere als Rockstar zu machen, doch Ridley hat ganz andere Pläne. In einer gefährlichen Glückspielpartie mit dem dunklen Caster Lennox Gates, hat sie einiges verloren und steht nun in ihrer Schuld. Diese Schuld betrifft auch Link, der jedoch nichts von all dem weiß. In New York angekommen, beginnen die Schwierigkeiten für Link und Ridley, welche immer tiefer in das Geschehen der dunklen Caster mit hineingezogen werden.

Ridley war für mich in Beautiful Creatures immer eine der interessantesten Charaktere, sie war stark, unabhängig und hatte ihren eigenen Kopf. Doch wie es scheint, verliert sie all diese guten Eigenschaften in Dangerous Creatures. Sie hat nur noch ihren Freund Link im Kopf und ihre größte Angst ist es, ihn zu verlieren, trotzdem lügt sie ihn immer wieder aufs Neue an. Sie hat keinerlei Stärke und Selbstachtung mehr und ist vielmehr eine weinerliche Göre, der man den Lollipop weggenommen hat. Der Plot war obendrein unglaublich vorhersehbar und nicht gerade spannend. Auch die anderen Charaktere in dem Buch haben mich keineswegs interessiert. Diese Buchserie werde ich nicht weiterführen, da Dangerous Creatures einfach nur langweilig war. Vielleicht funktioniert die Welt der Caster für mich nicht, ohne Lena und Ethan, so oder so, nur Ridley allein schafft es nicht, mich für diese Bücher zu begeistern. Also seid gewarnt, bei diesem Buch hat man nichts verpasst.

I loved the Beautiful Creaturs but I hated Dangerous Creatures. The story was boring and I wanted to punch Ridley in the face most of the time. She is such a stupid girl and does not deserve link. Maybe I need Lena and Ethan or Gatlin or both but I could not get on board with this novel. It felt like a rushed spin off and I skimmed through the last pages. I will not pursue this series any longer. Maybe you liked this book more than I did? Tell me in the comments or on the social media.

 

Readable ♥

Loveable ♥


Big Book Tag

For this tag, all you have to do show off the 5 biggest books on your shelf that you have read, and 2 big books that you have not read. I was not tagged and I don’t know who created the tag but it seems fun to do this. Also 2015 will be a year in which I plan to read a lot of big books.

 

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5 biggest books I’ve read:

There are two A Song of Ice and Fire books in my top 5 but because A Dance with Dragons is my biggest book that I have to read I will choose some other big books for this category. I will only choose one book from a series.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1.011 pages)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (870 pages)

Vergebung (english title: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest) by Stieg Larsson (864 pages)

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (800 pages)

I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (738 pages)

 

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2 biggest books on my TBR shelf:

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin (1.123 pages)

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (763 pages)

 

Books_Kindle

3 Biggest books on my Kindle:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (656 pages)

Night Film by Marisha Pessl (640 pages)

The Crimson Crown by Cinda Willliams Chima (598 pages)


13 Reasons Why

English version below

Jay Asher versucht in seinem Debütroman, das Leben der jungen Hannah Baker Revue passieren zu lassen. Denn Hannah hat Selbstmord begangen. Hannah hat 13 Gründe, warum sie sich ihr Leben genommen hat. Genauer gesagt waren es 13 Personen, denen sie die Schuld gibt. Diesen 13 Personen bekommen nacheinander eine Box mit 13 Kassetten, jede Kassette ist einer Person gewidmet. Hannah erwartet, dass jede Person die Kassetten anhört und sie dann der nächsten Person weiterschickt.

ThirteenReasonsWhyDas Buch war wirklich gut geschrieben und die Geschwindigkeit der Erzählung ist genau richtig, um einen Spannungsbogen aufzubauen. Erzählt wird Hannahs verquerer Abschiedsbrief aus der Perspektive von Clay, der gar keine Ahnung hat, warum er diese Kassetten bekommen hat. Nach und nach erfährt der Leser durch Clay, was alles mit Hannah geschah, dass sie keinen Ausweg mehr sah.

Die Personen auf den Kassetten, sind größtenteils Menschen, die Hannah schlecht behandelt haben und ihr Unrecht getan haben. Wie fast jeder Teenager erlebt sie erniedrigende Momente in ihrer Schulzeit. Und genau das ist auch das größte Problem des Buches. Es sind Dinge, die fast jedem Schüler auf der High School passieren. Die Schule ist nicht immer ein netter Ort und andere Mitschüler können grausam sein. Hannahs Emotionen gingen aber einfach nicht tief genug um Selbstmord als letzten Ausweg zu sehen. Das Buch soll gegen Bullying sprechen, was meiner Meinung auch wirklich gut gelingt, doch die Gründe, warum sich Hannah umbringt, waren für mich einfach nicht plausibel genug.

Es fehlt die tiefe Verzweiflung in Hannahs Stimme. Sie wirkt mehr als ein wütender Teenager, der nicht genug Aufmerksamkeit bekommt und dessen Freunde gemein zu ihm waren. Versteht mich nicht falsch, was Hannah passiert ist grausam, es ist schmerzhaft, aber wenn die Schule endet wird diese Schmerz langsam vergehen. Mit ihren Kassetten bringt sie jedem der 13 Personen, die die Kassetten anhören, schmerzhafte Erfahrungen. Vor allem Clay, der Hannah nichts Gemeines angetan hat, leidet unter ihren Geständnissen und dieses Leiden hat er wirklich nicht verdient.

Das Buch ist einfach nicht realistisch genug, was ich mir aber genau bei einem so ernsthaften Thema wie Selbstmord erwartet hätte. Die Tatsache, dass keiner die Anzeichen erkannt hatte, für Hannahs Selbstmord ist einfach unglaubwürdig. Vor allem da sie genau dieses Thema in der Schule durchmachen. Dass also Niemand in Hannahs Umfeld bemerkt haben sollte, dass sie langsam abrutschte in dunkle Gedanken, kann ich einfach nicht glauben. Und die Dinge die sie auf den Tapes erzählt, manches davon ist strafbar. Dass also keiner der Teens, die die Kassetten bekommen, diese an jemand anderen weiterleitet ist ebenso kaum zu glauben.

Alles in allem was 13 Reasons why in Ordnung. Die Hauptperson, Hannah war mir leider absolute unsympathisch. Sie zeigt außerdem keine andere Emotion außer Frustration und Wut. Ich habe mir einfach ein Buch erwartet, dass tiefer geht, 13 Reasons why, kratzt leider nur an der Oberfläche, bei einem Thema das man viel genauer betrachten sollte. Das Buch soll übrigens verfilmt werden, mit Selena Gomez in als Hannah.

Hannahs Taps kann man hier hören.

So Hannah Baker killed herself and is sending everyone who she thinks is responsible for her suicide evil tap messages. I just don’t get why Hannah killed herself. Some shitty things happen to her but that’s high school a being a teenager. It’s not easy. Don’t get me wrong, I do not mean that these are not thing to get upset about. But I just did not feel as if Hannah was really depressed. She was more like an angry girl that realized not everything goes like she wants it to. Maybe that’s too harsh but Hannah was annoying.  High School ends and you can start over. The things that happened to her did not seem like reasons for suicide. I did like the idea of the book. Letting a dead character recall her story was chilling and also the audio files on the webpage of this book were a great addition. But I just could not understand Hannah and her actions. What did you think? Did you like the book?

 

Readable ♥♥♥

Loveable ♥♥


My Life Next Door

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

My Life Next Doorx-large

Samantha Rees comes from a cold and unloving family. Her sister is away on vacation for the summer and her mother is a senator and running for office again. Samantha spends most of her time at her summer job or alone in her big house. So she looks over her fence to watch the big and loving family the Garrett’s, her neighbours. When Sam meets Jase Garrett she is suddenly part of the life next door herself. She falls in love with Jase and also his family. But she comes from another world and soon the reality is catching up with Sam and Jase.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick is a novel about family relationships and first love. I loved Sam and Jase even if Jase is too good to be true. I thought the story was great. Sam and Jase took their relationship slow and got to know each other slowly. There was no instalove which was so refreshing. And above all I loved the Garretts. They are a wonderful family. I myself would love to be part of their loving and warm home. So for me as an only child this was the perfect book because I also did always admire kids from big families. I felt a lot like Samantha growing up. Maybe this is part of why I loved this book so much. I read this book after a reading slump and it helped me get out of it really fast. It is just such a cute contemporary love story and there was none of the typical high school drama.

I would recommend My Life Next Door for everyone who is searching for a genuine first love story and has no problem reading something without instalove. This is a book about love, friendship and family. It is for everyone and the characters are so loveable. Definitely one of my favourite contemporary reads.

 

Readable ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Loveable  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


Lux Book Discussion

I finally finished the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and it was such a fun time. This series contains five books. The last book was published in the summer of 2014. I own the bind ups of the first two books, Lux: Beginnings and the next two books Lux: Consequences and also the last book. I love the covers of the bind ups because they are sparkly and so beautiful. The Lux series is about Katy who moves with her mom from Florida to West Virginia. Soon she discovers that there are strange things happening in the small town she is living in. People are disappearing or get attacked. Katy befriends Dee who lives next door but her brother Daemon does not want Dee to spend time with Katy. Daemon is arrogant and mean but also the hottest guy Katy has ever seen.

Lux

SPOILER WARNING – If you have not read the books and do not want to get spoiled you should come back when you have read them

 

Obsidian

This first book is centred mostly on Katy and Daemon. The two of them meet and don’t like each other at first but it is clear from the beginning, that they are attracted to each other. I loved the fact that Katy is a book blogger and get’s obsessed about fictional characters like I do. I also loved the friendship that bloomed between Katy and Dee. As for Daemon I did not like him at all but that’s just what you are supposed to feel. This book felt very much like twilight, there are so many parallels it was so funny. I read this book really fast, the writing is really simple and the plot is not too complicated. It was a fun read but unfortunately did not go further. It’s just a fluffy story with a paranormal twist.

 

Onyx

I really liked the fact that Katy is not immediately heads over heals for Daemon. He has to prove himself for her and this shows that she is an independent woman who does not get pushed around by others. Daemon did so many cute things for her that is inevitable for them to get together. Books without instalove are rare to find, so I liked the evolvement of Katy and Daemons Relationship a lot. Then there are Blake and Will. I knew Blake was not to be trusted. I was not so sure with Will. Katy acted really stupid in this book. She should have trusted Daemon. He could have helped her train. All the lies can never lead to something good. I did not expect the ending of this book and it was really fast paced. But for whatever reason it took me a long time to pick up the next book in this series.

 

Opal

After three months without Katy and Daemon I picked up the third book in this series and it was ok. I liked it but the plot bored me a bit. It was clear that the break in that they were attempting could only go wrong. There was also little character development and the story progressed slowly. And why did they trust Blake? Of course he will screw them over. I really liked Daemon and Katy in this book, they are a cute couple and their dialog is so much fun to read. I must say that I did not connected with any other characters in this book and I was not as invested in the story as with the other books. But after the ending of Opal I wanted to know what happens and I immediately picked up Origin.

 

Origin

I loved this book. So much happens and it is by far my favourite book in this series. It was fast paced and even when I don’t like it when a book series begins to have dual points of view it was necessary here and to here Daemons thoughts was interesting at the least. We finally get answers and insight in the whole Luxen and government problematic. I loved that Daemon did everything to save Katy and that when they are together they can conquer all. The back story to the Luxen was so interesting and I was really invested in the story. This book may be the most violent of all the five books and some scenes were hard to read. But we know that Jennifer L. Armentrout would never truly hurt our power couple. They just have to get their happily ever after, after all they have been trough.

 

Opposition

After the ending of Origin I was so hyped to read the last instalment in the series. And then all my hopes get crushed. I hated the beginning of Opposition. It was just not my thing the whole Luxen invasion and Daemon turning her back on Katy to protect her. It was just annoying. And the story did not get better for me. I loved the little moments between Daemon and Katy and I loved Archers and Dee’s relationship. But like in Opal I did not care for the other characters. The big battle was not so big and way to quickly resolved. The end of this book felt rushed and wrapped up to easily. There was not really something shocking besides the thing with Katy’s mom which was truly mortifying but could have been foreseen. I liked the epilogue a lot so that was something. It was not a bad book, I just did not like the way everything was resolved and the writing also got on my nerves. But I would recommend the Lux series to fans of twilight or other paranormal romance novels.

 

Readable ♥♥♥♥

Loveable ♥♥♥


Top 5 Love Triangles

Love triangles are often seen in YA books. They are mostly annoying but sometimes there are some love triangles that are better crafted. Here some of my favourite love triangles in young adult books.

 

edward-bella-and-jacob-2

#5 Bella, Edward and Jacob from Twilight

Bella, Edward and Jacob are the original love triangle, at least for me. In the twilight books the plot is all about the three of them. Even if Jacob does not really stand a chance against Edward the whole team thing when watching the movies was kind of fun. I was always on team Jacob just for the fact that Edward is dead and a creepy stalker. He is also way too controlling.

 

The Raven Cycle

#4 Blue, Adam and Gansey from The Raven Cycle

This is not a traditional love triangle but I still count it as one. In the first book Blue begins a relationship with Adam even if she knows he is probably not her true love. Because this is probably Gansey and it is clear the two of them have a special bond. Unfortunately Blue will kill her true love if she kisses him. So this is problematic. Adam is also Gansey’s best friend which makes it worse.  I have only read the first book in the Raven Cycle so who knows what will happen between the two of them.

 

Lily Collins;Jamie Campbell Bower

#3 Clary, Jace and Simon (and also Isabelle and Alec) from The Mortal Instruments

This love triangle is a little bit more complicated. I try to break it down for you. Clary is into Jace and ace is into Clary kind off. But they think they are siblings. Simon is also into Clary and he is also her best friend (friendzone much!). Isabelle is into Simon but does not want to tell him and Alec, Isabelle’s brother is into Jace but keeps it also quite because gay Shadowhunters are not a thing. Of course everyone finds their perfect match in this series but in the first three books all the relationships are very confusing.

 

Shatter Me

#2 Juliette, Warner and Adam from Shatter Me

This is one of my favourite love triangles because there is real cause for it to exist. Juliette is locked up in a mental institution and gets recued by Adam. Of course she will fall in love with Adam, she had no human contact in many years and she is a teenager. The two of them also knew each other from childhood. But Juliette is damaged and can’t think straight. When she meets Warner he shows her what love can be. I know it sounds corny but I loved Juliette’s and Warner’s love story because it was not instalove. And Adam can suck it.

 

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#1 Tessa, Jem and Will from The Infernal Devices

For me this is the ultimate love triangle. It was such an emotional journey with Tessa, Will and Jem. There was so much drama but how Cassandra Clare ended their story was beautiful and surprising. Everyone gets their happy ending and I could still cry when I think about the last chapters of Clockwork Princess. If you are searching for an epic love story set in an urban fantasy world this is your book.


Angelfall Book Review

Angels have descended to the earth and the apocalypse is here. Street gangs rule the day while fear rules the night. Fear from creatures like Angels. Penryn has one goal only, to stay alive and to help her family survive. She must be the strong one because her mother is mentally ill and her sister is in a wheel chair. Not the best of conditions to stay their ground in the angel apocalypse. Of course something happens to Penryns sister. She gets taken by Angels and now Penryn has to save her. She does this with the help of a fallen Angel who got his wings cut off by other Angels. She saves his life and pressures him into helping her find her sister.

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So this premise of Angelfall by Susan Ee seems not really my thing. I mean come on an angel book? And another girl fighting for her life and the life of her sister? Not really a new thing. But the book got amazing reviews on Goodreads so I checked it out. It also helps that it is under 300 pages long. Turns out that’s a bad thing because this book could have used some extra pages. For me Angelfall was awful. I could not get into it and had a hard time finishing this tiny book. There was no world building besides the fact that Angels are killing humans on earth. That was it. All the world building is in the synopsis. Penryn is travelling with an Angel nearly the whole book and she is asking questions like: What are you guys doing here? What do you want on earth? And so on. But she gets nothing. No answers NOTHING. Well maybe all the answers will be revealed n the end, I tell myself. But that’s not the chase. There are no answers in this book, no closure and hardly any plot at all. Everything you need to know is in this synopsis. There is no character development there is just action scene after action scene that has nothing to do with this so called plot.

When I thought the book can’t get worse there it is, the forbidden love, because humans and angels do not mix. Penryn and her angel Rafe have no chemistry what so ever. They start out hating each other but suddenly they are in love? Seriously, I can’t take this. So please tell me why everybody loves this book so much? Is it because the plot is so predictable and stupid that it is easy to read? Or is it because there is only action and you do not have to get involved with the characters and the plot? I just don’t get it and I heard that there are also no explanations in the second book. Maybe I just read too many dystopian books and am now too picky but this did nothing for me. Maybe I just don’t like angel books. I hardly got through. So no, I will not continue this series.

 

Readable ♥

Loveable ♥


Top 5 Side Characters in Books

We readers love our main characters but there are also some minor characters that suprised me because they were such a great addition to the novels they were in. I love strong side characters so that the spotlight is not only on the main characters. Minor characters should also be well thought out.

 

419rjQNqYhL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_# 5 Iko from Cinder

I loved the android from Cinder. Even if she was an android her personality was so bubbly and just loveable all the time. When the thing with Iko in Cinder happens I was mortified and cried. Iko is such a great character and I think she is a big part of me loving this book so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

71IxCAK25cL._SL1230_# 4 Reagan from Fangirl

Fangirl is my favourite Rainbow Rowell book because it is not just beuatifully written but also has great character. Reagan is Cather’s college roomate. She seems diastant in the beginning but we soon discover that she takes a liking to Cather and helps her survive her freshman year. She is suportive and a great friend who will kick your ass when you need her to.

 

 

 

 

 

City_of_Bones# 3 Alec from The Mortal Instruments

When I first met Alec from The Mortal Instruments I did not like him at all. But after time we got to know him and he became one of my favourite character in the whole series. I think I like him and Magnus even better than Clary and Jace. Alec is the moody type who is closed of and doesn’t talk a lot. But he cares deeply for his famiyl and friends and will do everything to portect them.

 

 

 

 

Shatter-Me-2# 2 Kenji from Shatter Me

Kenji may be my favourite character after Warner. He is the only one that puts Juliette in her place and gives her a piece of his mind. And it looks like this was exactly the thing Juliette needed to grow. He helps her to get up and stop the annoying wining. Thansk for Kenji Juliette stand up for herself and starts fighting. Also he is such a funny character.

 

 

 

 

 

HARRY-POTTER-AND-THE-SORCERERS-STONE_510x777# 1 Neville from Harry Potter

For me, Neville is the ultimate side character. He does not get as much attention as Harry, Ron and Hermoine but he is there from beginning to end and does become a very important character. I loved Neville. I identified with him imediatly because I think I would have been like him when I would have attended Hogwarts. He is adorable and I think I don’t have to metion movie Nevielle who looks so handsome now.


The Distance Between Us Book Review

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West is a cute contemporary romance novel. It takes place in a small town on the east coast and is about the relationship between Caymen and Xander. Caymen works at the porcelain doll store of her mother and wants to get out of this town as fast as possible. The store life’s from rich people who buy dolls but lately the finances do not look good. Caymen and her mother have a hard time getting by. So Caymen has a lot of reasons to resent the rich customers that frequent her store. When Xander comes in it is clear that he has money. Actually his family has money. And to top this he looks amazingly good. But Caymen has one rule: Never get involved with a rich guy.

The-Distance-Between-Us-review

Of course Caymen and Xander can’t stand away from each other and they become friends. Or are even more than friends? Caymen finally begins to see that money is not always a way to make your life easy. Xander has problems, just like she does and she slowly gets to know his world. There is also Caymen’s mom who seems to have a lot of secrets and hides things from Caymen. And what will the two of them do when the store can’t make any money more? So this is what The Distance Between us is all about. When I read this book I wanted a fast and cute contemporary and this is what I got. But I was not amazed by this book. It was okay but unfortunately forgettable. Caymen is highly annoying in her prejudices against all people with money and has no idea that maybe Xander’s world is not as perfect as she thinks. I did no really feel the love between Caymen and Xander and also there were the typical misunderstandings you find in so many romance books. I’m over the obligatory lack of communication between characters. Don’t get mad with the guy and run away. Why do people always run away in books and movies? It’s so stupid, I hate it. So this is kind of the climax of this book, the running away, not talking with each other and thinking everything is over. This is so exhausting, authors, please stop it!

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But after all, this book was cute and kind of fun. I read it in one day so it’s a really fast read. I like the small town setting but did not like the rich/poor issues. Also I have to admit that I thought this book is about a long distance relationship but that was not the case so I was a little bit disappointed. But that’s totally on me not reading the synopsis. So if you search for a quick and easy read with not much depth and good looking character you may find what you are looking for.

 

Readable ♥♥♥

Loveable ♥♥