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In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

21.09.2014

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The story and its development was done amazingly. The story gets better and better the further you read.Sarah J. Maas writes a story full of action, adventure and mystery yet with all that, there is still time for a lot of romance.
Celaena is a strong-willed female protagonist for the modern world. She's immensely complex from the start; alternating between a young woman who can easily find 6 ways to kill you before you even take a breath, to a slave yearning for freedom, to a girl still mourning the loss of everyone she's ever held dear, to a flirt, to a friend, to an athlete and warrior. In almost anyone else's hands, all these characteristics could read as inconsistent, but Maas has spent so much time fleshing out everything about Celaena, that all of her personalities, fears, dreams, and wants all flow seamlessly together to form a complex human just trying to survive and do the best she can with the tools she's given. Even in a world of pure fantasy, everything is authentic. There's mystery and a romance that not only has you rooting for everyone involved, but again, feels genuine to the characters involved.
The other thing that I loved about this book is the budding triangle. I enjoy it this time is that I felt the strongest point of the book was the characters and their development. None were flat or too predictable. They had distinct personalities and all pretty likable. And importantly....their actions and reactions make sense and don't feel forced

A critically acclaimed novel that will change the way you look at life, love, and family.
In the blink of an eye everything changes. SeventeenA-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

26.08.2014

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I cried several times and just fell in love with Mia and all those who surrounded her, "her family". It's a truly touching and a wonderful story. I liked the way it switched back and forth, it made the pace faster for me, even though Forman moves from repeatedly past to present the story remains fluid and engaging. The depth of the emotions that Mia must navigate through is beautifully written. I really enjoyed the emotional journey through this book and would read others by Gayle Forman. From this book I was taught to not take everything for granted and not be be unhappy when we don't always get everything we want.
Interesting how one can "see" family and friends while fighting to stay alive, trying to decide if it would be worth it when you have lost the people who meant the most to you. Amazing how resilient the body is. When it's not time to let go, then somehow the body says "wait". It's said that the hearing is the last of the senses to go, so a message to the family is: "Tell your loved one how much you love them and give the permission they need to "go" or "stay".

The streets of San Francisco would be lined with hardcovers if rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright had her way. And her mentor wouldn't be lying in a pool of his own blood on the eve of a celebration for his latest book restoration.

With his final breath he leaves Brooklyn a cryptic message, and gives her a priceless and supposedly cursed copy of Goethe's Faust for safekeeping.

Brooklyn suddenly finds herself accused of murder and theft, thanks to the humorless, but attractive, British security officer who finds her kneeling over the body. Now she has to read the clues left behind by her mentor if she is going to restore justice

28.07.2014

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There is lots of information on book restoration and how it's done, as well as the world of rare books which I enjoyed a great deal. Nice storyline, plenty of intrigue, with great character development. I love a good cozy-mystery, and this one qualifies; it's not the best I've read, but it's well above average. The characters were either made you love them or love to hate them. I enjoyed the heroenes adventure both in and outside of the world of bookbinding. The story moved quickly, and the secondary characters were quirky enough to make her the sane, rational one.

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case. A war veteran, wounded both physically and psychologically, Strike's life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger.

A gripping, elegant mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London - from the hushed streets of Mayfair, to the backstreet pubs of the East End, to the bustle of Soho - The Cuckoo's Calling is a remarkable debut. Introducing Cormoran Strike, it is a classic crime novel unlike any other book you will read this year.

24.08.2014

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For me it is a 4.5 stars and not a four star book.

Very good, well written and descriptive, complex plot. Sometimes the pace was a bit slow, but still thoroughly entertaining and a great start to a new detective series with great characters. I look forward to many more Cormoran Strike adventures, he was somewhat like a procedural, and I enjoy walking through the clues with the detective and gathering the evidence. The characters are engaging and I was pleased to have the story line remain a mystery until the end. The mystery has a lot of twists and turns that keep you interested.

East London, 1888 - a city apart. A place of shadow and light where thieves, whores, and dreamers mingle, where children play in the cobbled streets by day and a killer stalks at night, where bright hopes meet the darkest truths. Here, by the whispering waters of the Thames, Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger's son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save, and sacrifice to achieve their dreams.

But Fiona's life is shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man take from her nearly everything-and everyone-she holds dear. Fearing her own death, she is forced to flee London for New York. There, her indomitable spirit propels her rise from a modest West Side shop-front to the top of Manhattan's tea trade. But Fiona's old ghosts do not rest quietly, and to silence them, she must venture back to the London of her childhood, where a deadly confrontation with her past becomes the key to her future.

19.09.2012:
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One of the best books I read this year. Wow! Finishing this book was the one thing I dreaded. The Tea Rose was a captivating, heartfelt, and engaging read. I was lost in this fascinating, atmospheric world of 19th century London, and would love to go back sometime and revisit the wonderful characters that Jennifer Donnelly created. There are great characters in this story that you will not forget easily, especially Fiona Finnegan who is the central figure with great strength and fierce ambition. Very well written and keeps you guessing. Some time you can predict what may happen; but it keeps you hanging. Other things come as a complete surprise.

"The Fault in Our Stars" is a work that defies its genre in all the best ways possible. There is great benefit to all who read this. It’s not only about two teens battling cancer; it’s about a lesson to all of us to live our lives every day, every minute. We should be thankful for this time especially if we are lucky enough to find love and be capable of giving. This story is beautiful, funny, heartbreaking and poignant. John Green truly told a great story of love, of life, of death, of humor.
This is the first John Green book I've ever read and I am sure it want be the last one.
Well the only mistake that I did is that I saw the movie in the middle of reading the book. So I took a little brake from the book.
I love Agustus' metaphore with the cigarette. A great read even thought the theame is pretty hard, but it's part of our lives.

(Read 25.08.2014)