Hi, y’all.
I’m just returning home after a children infested Saturday split up into me giving ESL classes to 9 year olds and helping my 11 year old brother celebrate his Star Wars themed birthday (which was pretty cool); teaching was great as well since it was pay day. But anyways, despite being in the middle of Midterm exams I was able to read seven books, yeah you heard that right: 7 fucking books. Heavy ones, not some easy babies.
The first book I read was the Improbable theory of Ana & Zak by Brian Katcher.
Ana and Zak go to the same school, they have some shared classes and 
they see each other quite often in the library but they are nothing alike, they couldn’t be more different. Ana will follow the strict and harsh rules her Catholic parents imposed for their offspring, she’s incredibly smart and responsible not wanting to commit her sister’s mistakes, on the other hand Zak is your typical millennial comic book nerd not caring much about studies or sports or having a healthy relationship with his step dad, he only dreams of a unique convention. Therefore it takes a extreme and delicate affair to force these two to cooperate to get out of this messed up night filled with cosplay and weirdness, without loosing all they have accomplished in their short lives.
THIS WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED.
When I started reading I couldn’t understand the characters neither their motivation and was bored because of it, so I wanted to sleep and give up but I kept reading since I needed to give every book a shot with my exquisite YA tongue. Anyways, I’m glad I did cuz this one surprised me, the intensity, the live or die feelings, the comic on vs video game aesthetics and a fantastic revealing in the main characters drove me to finish this in a day, I ended up crying and happy, and you know that only a good book can get a reader to yearn and feel for a character’s happiness and unhappiness. This was such a fun ride and I would definitely do it again.
The second book I read was always and forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han, the third and final installment in the To All the Boys I Loved Before trilogy.
Lara Jean’s senior year it’s coming to its endand she has a plan to follow, one that makes her feel safe, in contact with her family and
boyfriend, and specifically Safe. But as all things in her life she’ll have to deal with the fact that not everything goes according to what we want, specially life after high school. Just looking at how her big sister’s life has changed, she knows it’s inevitable but is she ready to finally grow up?
NICE WAY OF CONCLUDING THINGS.
I felt so connected to my sweet Lara Jean with the whole last minute changes and having a hard time saying goodbye to everything as you know it, being afraid of change. Wanting to take advantage of every last celebration to spend with friends and family, trying to reduce that stress by pretending you’re alright. I love Jenny Han for addressing this issue and for bringing one of the purest and most tender characters to live for 3 lovely books, I never felt more overprotective of a female protagonist not like a mama bear at least but that’s what Lara Jean inspire, her goodness shall be protected.
The following book I read was Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines, the first one in The Field Party series.
Two opposites are quite alike. He would end up destroying her, she 
could start healing him. Both West and Maggie have some fucked up issues going on and they know that if they kiss, one more will be added that should be avoided at all cost. But will they let go, once fate shows them: they might not be meant to be? Or that they are right where they are meant to?
THIS WAS LIKE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR.
After trying to read and get into the most boring, repetitive and anti girl power book by one of my favorite authors ever I couldn’t take it anymore and I gave up so I left an entire spot to read a new easy going novel and I came across this precious jewel made of paper and ink. It was exactly what I needed, it gave me feels, overly dramatic but realistic emotions and a hope that nothing would go wrong despite the adversities the main characters were going through because it was Love. And even though I had my issues with someone’s overprotective and antifeminist behavior towards his new love, I was glad it was addressed and not taken as something normal, it was discussed and fixed like only angsty teens can do. And in the end I was happy and so relieved I read this lovely story instead of that famous boredom.
The fourth book was its sequel named Under The Lights.
Willa is back in her old childhood town after a fateful night ruined her life and good name, she ain’t the same hopeful girl who moved to live
happily ever after with her mom’s new family. She’s back with her grandmother living as the caretaker of Gunner’s dollhouse family. She was best friends with him, but they both changed and also their feelings; besides there’s good old Brady still a dreamy boy she fancied when they we’re pre-teens. Who could understand and not blame her for what she did? Which friend will be what she always needed?
I KINDA WANTED I LITTLE MORE CONCLUSIVE CONCLUSION FOR THIS.
The book dealer with some fucked up family issues but somehow it was softer than the angst and sexual tension filled previous one, however I felt the anger, the pain and the desire to feel loved that these characters were craving for. Besides the writing style is always on point not allowing the reader to stop at any stage, and for some moments the plot lines were reaching a VC Andrews kind of flame with the whole Lawson family ordean and dirty secrets involving our main couple. It was interesting but I wished we could know certain things, like who’s Her father?.
Next book I read was Asylum by Madeleine Roux, number one in the series of the same name.
Nobody ever told NHU people that using a sadistic and creppy asylum 
as a department for students was a bad idea? Apparently they did. But Dan Crawford knew a bit of this back story before he applied for a month seminar /course for seniors, as a smart boy with a lack of social abilities and a secretly great catch for the occult, he should have known that some things just aren’t normal. Old photographs of patients aren’t meant to remain in the department, blood covered walls shouldn’t be open for the public to find, and people involved in horrific treatments shouldn’t share one’s full name. He should have know something was off.
NOT MANY BOOKS SCARE ME SO THIS WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING ELSE.
Cheers on the author because this is how you get an avid YA reader to be afraid of reading in the dark while listening to The Conjuring’s score. I never felt more haunted and now I’m thrilled for more, I always went for the emotions’ sad or loving parts but now I want the disturbing feeling I’m not alone and that the dark is cold and terrifying. Since I realised I liked spooky weird stuff, I’ve been attracted like a moth to the flame, to Asylums and all the inhuman treatments as the inexplicable human nature in ancient practices so this story line was like melting gold for me. And the pictures and writing style made it an even more realistic experience, I now feel there’s something more and more creepy, the whole lobotomy on a child picture still haunts me and I’m not the same. so thank you Miss Roux.
The sixth book I read was Vampyr by Carolina Andújar, from the Carmina Nocturna trilogy.
During the 1800’s, not everything was fun and romantic love and properly behaving young girls, specifically not anymore in a Swiss all
girls boarding school since the arrival of a rich and beautiful new student that everyone immediately adores, all but Martina. She sees the new girl for who she really is, she has understood the clues: people have been bitten, she herself has been attacked by a demonic figure but nobody seems to accept the terrible truth. There is a vampire on the loose with a secret agenda to get something from Martina that could destroy the world as we know it and her only chance to survive.
I SURPRISINGLY LIKED IT.
Examining the ending, I should be a bit disappointed and really off balance at how (slightly) poor was the administration given to some female figures, and of course the many unanswered questions I have left but then I remember this was made imagining the structure and characteristics of a Gothic Victorian novel and I appreciate the beauty of it: how I was never bored by the long change of povs or the unnecessary scenes, I truly enjoyed it without remorse feeling I read a piece of golden history mixed with a complex yet humble story line. Still, I wish we could have dived more into the love story at the very end.
The last book I read was the sequel named Vajda: the immortal prince.
This time we meet Emilia living in late 1800’s France with her servants, 
enjoying her worried parents’ getaway on her glad own, amazed by her own frivolity and lack of interest on anything but herself, until she has a traumatic encounter with a demonic creature who viciously drank her blood letting her to die. When she wakes up, she knows her life has change and though she’s not like the beast who attacked her she will never be the same, he life finds a new meaning which is to bring justice to the one that hurt her and is trying to take the soul of the ones she loves.
STRANGELY GOOD.
I had some feminist issues with the book and I had to constantly remind myself this was a Gothic romance inspire by Victorian novels so i couldn’t really complain. It was so hard loving the main ship but thinking about how anti girl power this was. Anyways, let’s focus in the amazing world building Carolina gave us here, the whole ancient Hungarian tribes and the whole demonic ordeal, and how people were willing to give away their humanity and family for more power or a higher social position, seeing that in Emilia’s family was heartbreaking but reading about the great fates all my favorite characters are living made me smile a bit. I had the conclusion I wanted for the previous book.
