May Mini-Reviews | Summer Ender Post

Wednesday, May 27, 2015 1 Comments A+ a-

If you've seen my past book reviews, they weren't really legit reviews and was actually more or rants. I wanted to try again and this time try to be constructive (or something). To mark the end of this month, here is a collection of all the short reviews I wrote during the month of May. The end of this month also signifies the end of summer for me *cries*.



Its been really fun and I didn't regret a single day spent lazying around. I can't say I'm ready for school again, but I am willing to tackle it again (isn't that kind of the same thing?)

Anyway, beyond the Read More point is the collection of May Reviews, so click away! I've had a good reading month (most of the books were rated 4-5 stars) and I'm looking forward to reading more, hopefully school schedules will permit.

Also, all the mini-reviews are spoiler free, so worry not! But, if you've already read the books below and want a little feel fest and basically want to vent out on your feels about the book as well, click on the Spoiler Section button below each review!


The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know why it took me so long to pick up the Chronicles of Narnia. I've been a big fan of the movies for the longest time (don't boo, loser! me. I know.)

First and foremost, the writing is amazing! There's this whole story-telling vibe from the beginning to end. It's also very informative (is this even the right word?) and answers a lot of questions if you've seen the movies, but never read the books. I liked it and I immediately picked up the 2nd book after I finished the 1st.

I've been a big fan of Narnia movies ever since I saw the first one, but the first book to the series actually opened my eyes to the numerous questions I had such as where the wardrobe came from and what was with the lamp post. These were all answered in Magician's Nephew and they were all so brilliant! The lamp post actually came from our world, brought to Narnia by the Witch. That was the time when Narnia was just born/created, so the soil or the earth promoted so much growth. When the Witch dropped the small part of a regular lamp post from London, it grew into an actual full-size lamp post after a few moments. The wood used to create the wardrobe had magic since the tree where the wood came from was originally from an apple from Narnia. Brilliant. Just brilliant!


The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love the story-telling vibe (redundancy too, apparently) and I still can't believe I'm only diving into the world of Narnia just now. I love the story overall and how C.S. Lewis brilliantly connected it to the first installation. The writing is very good and far from what I had expected. The individual books were quite short, but filled to the brim with the right amount of story and amazing writing style.

Also, while reading, I noticed that the book to film adaptation is outstanding. It was so on-point. If I have read this before I watched the movie, I would be so satisfied with it because everything was included. Narnians must have been really proud when they saw the movie.


The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 4.5 stars, rounded up

It started a little slow for my liking, but later on I discovered that the pace was slow for a good reason. Mid-story intensifies and builds a lot of hype, which makes this book the type of book that makes you grip it tightly and never let go. The Raven boys (Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah) were very well-crafted characters and each had distinct characteristics and personalities, which is great.

Although, I admittedly had to put down the book several times just to process all of the information. It's like you're thrown into the story and filled with so much information, it takes time to let it all sink in. It wasn't much of a negative thing, but I can see some people giving up on this book because of that. I'm telling you though, don't give up on this book.

Overall, it was a really good and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book.

I got two words for ya'll: RONAN LYNCH. I love his character so much. He's this badass that doesn't seem to care about anything, but in reality cares so much for his friends. Ronan beating up Adam's father was such a glorious moment for me. Also, who names a raven "Chainsaw", right? Ronan was sarcastic and angry and soft and kind all at the same time. Do ya feel me? I think I ship Gansey and Ronan's friendship more than I ship Blue and Gansey or Blue and Adam!

Also, the whole Noah is dead blew my mind. I noticed that Noah was just always in the background, but woah, dead? Are you kidding? And the fact that the rest of the boys just passed it off like it was so normal was insane.


Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here's to me trying not to type everything in all caps.

First of all, I liked the pacing of the story. It wasn't too slow, it wasn't too fast. I fell in love with the main character, Celaena, throughout the book because she had flaws. She wasn't perfectly strong and skilled. She was Adarlan's Assassin, but she was also human. I loved how realistic it is when it came to pain and battle. A few battle scenes got me a bit lost, though!

There are a lot of unfamiliar terms and places thrown around and there's not much of a description given to them, leaving you so much space to actually create the world, which is awesome.

I enjoyed reading this and it deserves 5 out of 5 stars. Sarah J. Maas is an incredible writer.

#TeamChaol, sorry Dorian. Seriously though, Chaol and Celaena are the ultimate ship right now. I don't hate Dorian, but I just think his relationship with Celaena was based on aesthetics. I mean, the hours Chaol spent training with Celaena was so much more compared to the hours Dorian had been with Celaena. Chaol and Celaena grew stronger through each other. And come on, that moment went Celaena and Cain were in battle and Celaena was on the floor. Then there was Chaol reaching out as far as his hands could and telling her to get up. O to the T to the P. They are OTP.

Also, Cain being the killer didn't really shock me, but I do admit that I also did think that it might've been Nehemia doing all the gruesome attacks.


Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You had me at cyborg.

I read a lot of good reviews before starting this, and this book definitely did not disappoint. It's a very interesting and unique take on a fairytale re-telling. It's doesn't really follow the whole plot line of Cinderella, but the famous aspects where present such as the cruel step mother, the step sisters (one nice, one not so much), the prince, etc. The writing style was very casual and the pace is almost perfect for me. Also, who doesn't fall in love with an angsty, sarcastic, and strong female protagonist?

The whole princess thing wasn't as big of a plot twist for me. I seriously saw it coming and hey, it was so obviously hinted in the first parts of the story! But, I love the pacing of this story, it was almost perfect. It wasn't fast, it wasn't slow.

Okay, I'm just gonna put this out there: I don't ship Prince Emperor Kai and Cinder romance thing YET. I didn't feel like the relationship was developed that well, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of it grow in the next books. Also, my dreamcast for Emperor Kai is Harry Shum Jr.!


The Book ThiefThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't know if it's because this book is so mainstream or because it looks very long, but this has been sitting on my bookshelf for a long time and let me just say that I don't regret picking it up and beginning to read. The Book Thief was painstakingly beautiful. I've never really read a book narrated by death which in itself is already very intriguing.

The writing is beautiful and the blurb at the back is on point; this book is life-changing. It took me so long to finish the book because I had to stop a couple of times to just absorb everything and think about it. The pacing of the story lets the readers bond more with the characters and grow to love them.

A definite 5/5.

When I say painstakingly, I do mean painstakingly. This was beautiful and painful all at the same time. The deaths weren't sugarcoated, but despite that, every death was with meaning and beautifully narrated by death itself. I understand all the hype behind this book now. Hans Hubermann being called to war freaked me out so much as well as Rudy's announced death. This book seriously wounded me.


Me and Earl and the Dying GirlMe and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading Book Thief, I wanted to dive immediately into a light novel and so I did.

I binge-read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I literally BINGE READ it. I finished it in 4 hours, I think. Anyways, onto the thoughts.

It's past 1AM as I type this, so please bear with me. I gave this 4 over 5 stars because I thought it was a pretty pointless plot, but that's the thing about it. It deserves 4 stars because it's pointless. The writing was very light, the characters weren't exactly what I would call likable, but they were so real. There was no sugarcoating of how different Greg's emotions were towards Rachel despite the whole "sick lit" romance norm.

If I hadn't been very hungover on Book Thief, I would probably give Me and Earl and the Dying Girl 3.5 stars, but it came perfectly in my life. I needed a light read and this did not disappoint one bit. It's so different from the now becoming mainstream "sick lit" trope and yes, I do recommend it to those looking for a light read and a good laugh!
I literally laughed out loud on most of Greg's remarks at stupidity. I was expecting a more.. meaningful (?) ending.. I guess. But Greg's right about what a book does to a person. This is seriously the most genuine writing I've ever read. Rachel's death, like, the actual death wasn't really given much spotlight to make people cry, but it wasn't set aside as well. This book is awesome if you need some kind of lifesaver if you're deep into heavy book depression


a 19 year old girl who firmly believes in the power and joy of writing and that the owl carrying her Hogwarts letter simply got lost.

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2 July 2015 at 16:44 delete




Free ebooks i have read it and it was very good.
Read it now before it deleted
http://freedigitalstuff.com/?l=free_ebooks_gifts


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