Book Review: "Ink and Arrows" by Shruthi Viswanathan

"You can ease your anger with revenge, but you can't ease the emptiness with anything."

Rea is a Suveri, a woman whose powers are granted thanks to the tattoos she has on her skin. She is a "human" that has the ability to handle magic. She looks for revenge for his father's death, which was in the hands of humans who exploited her tribe's magic.

After being arrested for trying to kill her father's murderer, Archduke Sebestyén of Alisia gets her free in exchange for her tattoo knowledge, and she only accepts if he grants her three wishes. As the story passes, both start to save each other, Sebestyén saves a stubborn and famished Rea while bringing her food to her somewhat cottage, and Rea saves him with her peace and companionship.

Sebastyén's royal position changes drastically when the war ends, which makes him realize his relationship with Rea is in jeopardy and that he just can't have it all because of his father and the kingdom. While Rea's feelings are clear, he has to make a choice.

The chemistry with the main characters, their acceptance to their feelings, and the sexual tension are very clear, which makes you root for them even more. Although the pace was pleasant, I would've liked more examples of Rea's powers and the tribe's traditions as well as Sebastyén's intentions to change Suveri lives and its repercussions in the kingdom. This would've been well-developed in a longer book. At the same level, I think it's a shame that we can't see enough of Sebestyén's brother, Arnold.

I felt the ending was written in a lazy way, so this book left me wanting so much more. I still enjoyed it while it lasted.

SHRUTHI VISWANATHAN is a fantasy novelist who is always lost in her head. Her best friends are imaginary characters who sometimes end up on the pages of her books. When she’s not writing, she likes to try out new restaurants, play video games, and read books that will take her on unforgettable journeys.

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Book Review: "The Bird King" by G. Willow Wilson

This book was disappointing and for a moment I thought I wouldn’t finish it. The beginning of it totally caught my attention, though.

As the synopsis says, the story is set during the reign of a sultan that falls into the hands of the Spanish Inquisition, a situation that changes the lives of two friends, Fatima and Hassan. The story looks promising at this point because we can read a little bit about the traditions held around that time and place (Iberian Peninsula), like the way Fatima and Hassan arrived at the palace, the way they served their masters (Fatima as a concubine and Hassan as a magic mapmaker, as well as their subsequent longing for freedom, and how this freedom looks even more impossible to achieve with the arrival of the Holy Office representatives.

In order to save Hassan of a terrible fate involving his talent with mapmaking, he and Fatima embarked in a journey that I think it lacked a feeling of adventure and emotion, which made it boring; a journey that also added unnecessary characters that didn’t have enough background to make you feel anything for them, not love nor hate (and I'm afraid to say I felt nothing for the main characters either). Also, they were parts that were a little bit confusing to me, but I have the feeling that it was because of the Kindle format I got.

This story wasn’t for me. Definitely.

I could read this book thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic ;)

G. WILLOW WILSON is the author of the acclaimed novel The Bird King, co-creator of the Hugo and American Book Award-winning series Ms Marvel, and has written for some of the world’s best-known superhero comic book series, including The X-Men, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Her first novel, Alif the Unseen, won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, was a finalist for the Center For Fiction’s First Novel Prize, and was long-listed for the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction. In 2015, she won the Graphic Literature Innovator Prize at the PEN America Literary Awards. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She lives in Seattle.

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Book Review: "Hardened Hearts" [edited] by Eddie Generous

When we think about love stories we always end up thinking about flowers and chocolates, about kisses and walks during a warm sunset. Happy endings. But the line between love and horror is as thin as the single page of a book. 

Hardened Hearts caught my attention since the very beginning with the foreword by James Newman, which reminds you that, indeed, love isn't easy, that makes you bleed and hurt and rage. I think that Newman wrote the perfect book summary: They are stories about sexual love and love between star-crossed romantics, but also included here are stories of a guilt-ridden father's love for his little girl, obsessions with inanimate objects, and even one woman's unnatural, and shared, love for a spider (!).

Love is strange...

I almost wrote this review in a different way, focusing on each story, but then I thought that I could end up spoiling some of them, because WOW! They were 3 of them especially that I'll totally reread whenever I have the chance! What I can say about it, is that this is one of those books that you can't put down easily. I had to, because of work and school, but it's not like the stories left my mind, really. There was one story that reminded me of my first heartbreak, there was another that made me feel terrible and hoping it would never happen to me, and another one that made my jaw drop because the ending wasn't what I was expecting.

Hardened Hearts tells you about self-love, love after death, sexual love, family love, broken hearts, and maybe some kinky love (WOMAN, A SPIDER, REALLY? Haha, sorry, my fear is speaking here); its characters are varied and inclusive, full of fear and doubt but some kind of hopeful as well, so I think almost everyone can feel identified with at least one of their sentences. 

The writing of all of them was impeccable and dark, and for some stories, I was left wanting more. If there's a chance to make a Volume 2 of this, please, don't hesitate to make another compilation!

The authors you can find in here are:
Gwendolyn Kiste
Somer Canon
Calvin Demmer
Theresa Braun
John Boden
Tom Deady
J.L. Knight
Madhvi Ramani
Scott Hallam
Robert Dean
Leo X. Robertson
Jennifer Williams
Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi
Sarah L. Johnson
Meg Elison
James Newman
Eddie Generous

The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because there are some stories with explicit sex, drug abuse or rape. I don't mind the topics, I've read them in other stories, but I think is important for other people that might feel threatened by these. Please be careful when reading or recommending this book.

I could read this book thanks to author Theresa Braun and Booktasters ;)

THERESA BRAUN was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and has carried some of that hardiness with her to South Florida where she currently resides with her two fur babies, who are her creative sidekicks. She enjoys delving into creative writing, painting, photography and even bouts of ghost hunting. Traveling is one of her passions--in fact, her latest adventure took her to Romania for a horror writers' workshop where she followed in the steps of Vlad the Impaler. She writes horror fiction and the occasional romance. 

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Book Review: "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Previously posted on Goodreads!¹

What an incredible book.

I must say that it was difficult to me at first because it has too many main characters, so in my very humble point of view, that's what made this story different from others I've read.

The work can't be better, it has a mix between medieval and magical references and the character developments make everything very real.

My favorite above all was Daenerys Targaryen, her story, her characters, everything. She was only a 13-year-old girl who had to become a woman in order to save her lineage, and she changed from a frightened and bullied girl into a wise and brave woman who'd have more pants than Joffrey Baratheon. I also loved Tyrion Lannister because he demonstrated that he had the Lannister name, but not their ideas, something that makes him a very strong and self-centered character.

I need to know what's next. Unfortunately, I need to save money first and stay away from spoilers.



GEORGE R.R. MARTIN is the much-celebrated writer of the famous A Song of Ice and Fire series. He was born on September 20, 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey and grew up to be world-renowned Science Fiction and Fantasy writer. Martin obtained his early education from Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School moving on to B.S (1970) and M.S (1971) degrees in Journalism Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. These days Martin is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America and of Writers’ Guild of America, West. He resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


¹This review was written and originally posted on my Goodreads profile in 2013. It might now present minor changes in structure or corrections but has not changed its intention.

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Book Review: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

Previously posted on Goodreads!¹

This is one of the worst book reviews I've made... and I'm completely broken about it. I must say though, that I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much because of the way it's written (I'm no fan of written plays) and because Rowling didn't write this all by herself. But Harry Potter is Harry Potter and Rowling approved, right? So, of course, I had to read it.

Plays are written in a way that if you don't go see it, you can imagine how the stage looks because of the descriptions; the characters have long speeches because of the same reason, they need to show their emotions through them and explain things that we, as readers, can't understand without a narrator. As I said, I'm not into reading plays, but I found this one lacking a lot of play structure.

The pace of the book was OK, I suppose. They gave enough background to show us how Albus didn't feel comfortable with being Harry Potter's son. Harry is a celebrity and, as in real life, a child of a celebrity can't cope with this kind of life, but in Harry Potter's arc... this wasn't exactly expected. I mean, didn't Harry and Albus feel comfortable around each other at the end of Deathly Hallows? They looked so confident between them, Harry even shared one of his biggest secrets to him, showing us a very nice relationship between a father and son, and then all of that just *writers saying Evanesco* bye-bye?

I didn't buy it.

This story could've been easily saved and just got worse and worse. I didn't find the story original, but I have to accept they picked a good place to return in the Harry Potter saga. Goblet of Fire is the point where a children's book series becomes so dark and cruel that it was nice to revisit, especially because this gives Albus the opportunity to become aware of his father's battle with darkness at the same age. That was a good part, but here's a list of the not bad but ugly parts that made me wanna throw away what I was reading:

1. I'm a Doctor Who fan, I've seen all the episodes since the Ninth Doctor, therefore I wasn't surprised by how things were happening. I was even expecting Harry's death at some point, and guess who died? And even without Doctor Who, there are a lot, A LOT of movies and TV shows that portray this same plot... I need a rest.
2. When I was younger and I read Deathly Hallows, I tried to write a fic where Voldemort had a daughter with Bellatrix and that said daughter arrived to Hogwarts looking for revenge. I stopped writing because I found it stupid. Guess what I just read?
3. WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH RON WEASLEY?? I've seen a lot of you complaining about Harry's behavior but I can't agree with you. One of Harry's traits is to be a VERY impulsive character. How many times didn't he say something hurtful? Like in Order of the Phoenix. Ron on the other hand... Oh my God... Did they take inspiration of movie!Ron? Because I only saw him as the comic relief failure. His lines were poor and immature; they tried to make him funny and failed, even in the darkest part of the play!
4. Rose x Scorpius was so forced! When I read DH and knew Draco had a child, at that moment I shipped him with Rose, of course, but when reading this one... this is more a Scorbus ship and it didn't happen, WT...?
5. There are a lot of plot holes but the one that matters to me is Sirius Black. I mean, wasn't he in Godric's Hollow with Hagrid? The story was supposed to focus on father figures. We revisited a lot of characters that were important to Harry, like Dumbledore, Snape (and him being all nice, ugh, no), Hagrid, so where the hell was Sirius?
6. I couldn't get used of the way they addressed to each other. I mean, Malfoy and Harry calling Professor McGonagall "Minerva", Hermione calling Malfoy "Draco"... It was supposed to be something cute, I guess, it just didn't make a click.
7. Hermione keeping the time turner in her library... Really? Hermione Granger??
8. I didn't know it was that easy to get to Hogwarts grounds. You should show me your ways, Delphi! Should I forget the little we know about Hogwarts, A History?
9. Ron.
10. Amos and Cedric Diggory, two of the kindest persons in the wizard story, were transformed into very weak beings, one is a very resentful person, and the other becomes a Death Eater... a DEATH EATER OF ALL THINGS!
11. I guess is so easy to get Harry, Ron, and Hermione's hair these days for polyjuice potion.
12. And I better stop now or I'll rewrite the entire play.

In conclusion, I'm sad and angry, but mostly sad. I totally agree that all characters were, in fact, OOC. I understand that they had to be different because they're grownups now, but that doesn't mean is OK to change them completely and transform them into lifeless beings. The only two moments I felt "something" were a mini discussion that Ginny had with Malfoy and the scene between Harry and Dumbledore's portrait. JUST TWO MOMENTS! I guess that's the main reason of my disappointment. I didn't enjoy a thing and while I was reading it I was telling myself "maybe this is a prank, a very good one, but it needs to stop."

Of course, it didn't.

JOHN TIFFANY trained at Glasgow University gaining an MA in Theatre and Classics. He was Literary Director for the Traverse Theatre, Associate Director for Paines Plough and a founding Associate Director for the National Theatre of Scotland. He is currently an Associate Director for the Royal Court Theatre. 

JACK THORNE was born in Bristol, England, he has written for radio, theatre and film, most notably on the TV shows Skins, Cast-offs, This Is England '86, This Is England '88, This Is England '90, The Fades, The Last Panthers and the feature film The Scouting Book for Boys. He currently lives in London.



¹This review was written and originally posted on my Goodreads profile in 2016. It might now present minor changes in structure or corrections but has not changed its intention.

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Very Tiny Book Reviews: "Lullabies," "My Beautiful Birds," "Sinful Cinderella," and "A Court of Wings and Ruin"

The following reviews are so small that are rather comments. I still think they deserve to be here.

Previously posted on Goodreads!¹

★★★★★

My Beautiful Birds by Suzanne del Rizzo: A masterpiece. I hadn't read a book so touching and raw in a very long time, and even though it's aimed for children, it almost made me cry. It truly makes you put things into perspective. I have the need for all kids and adults around the world to read and see it, for the illustrations are mesmerizing.

★★★☆☆

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas: This book was kinda disappointing. I think the development of the story and the writing was good in the first part, but it started to lack something in the second half, I couldn't read it right away because I had homework, but I didn't feel the need to finish it. It was nothing compared to the second book... but Rhysand didn't disappoint ;) And... how dare you, Sarah? You know which part I mean!

★★☆☆☆

Lullabies by Lang Leav: I didn't find all of the writing good, compared to The Universe of Us, and the ones that were a bit of my taste are unfortunately forgettable. Sad, because I pretended to read more of her next.

★★☆☆☆

Sinful Cinderella by Anita Valle: It as an interesting idea, like a good idea for a Once Upon a Time episode because of the main character's wickedness. Unfortunately, the writing didn't captivate me, the book and I didn't have chemistry. Also, I felt that it's like an incomplete book, probably because it makes you go right to the next one without a cliffhanger.

¹This reviews were written and originally posted on my Goodreads profile in 2017. It might now present minor changes in structure or corrections, but has not changed its intention.

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Book Review: "Children of a Broken Sky" by Adam J. Nicolai

Previously posted on Goodreads!¹

Different kinds of faith. 

Different kinds of heroes. 

Only one enemy in common.

Children of a Broken Sky is a book that exceeded my expectations. I wasn't sure to read it because the main theme is religion (this one reminds me of the Catholic Church -a lot) and I'm not fond of reading something like that... but with Nicolai's book now I'm totally looking forward to the next instance.

I think that what it made it so interesting was the fact that its characters, even that they're friends since childhood, are very different from each other, what makes the situations even more difficult. There's a point that you even think that someone is going to betray the other at some point, that's why I think the book is pretty unpredictable (and more because they actually don't have plans, everything is done according to the situation, you even start to think about what would it happen if... I mean, you start to feel that you are in their situation and you need desperately to help them).

This book is definitely worth reading and I'm sure that I won't be the only one praying to Akir for the next one ;)

ADAM J. NICOLAI lives near Minneapolis, MN with his wife, Joy, and their two children, Isaac and Rydia. He is a life-long nerd, game lover, author, Star Wars fan, Dungeon Master, and amateur game designer, as well as a former project manager and policy debate coach.





¹This review was written and originally posted on my Goodreads profile in 2014. It might now present minor changes in structure or corrections but has not changed its intention.

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