Vanilla Moon

What do you mean I can't read MLP comics at my age? Okay, okay, I'll be careful not to be caught.^ this is me reading it on my tablet (thank you Netgalley!)Okay. So this volume is actually a compilation of six issues, each featuring one of the main ponies.The first story is about Twilight Sparkle who has a special mission from Princess Celestia. She has to help a librarian for a few days... and I think all of us bookworms can relate to her enthusiasm, right? Right?Then we have Rainbow Dash, 20% cooler, 20% faster, who faces a problem she's never had before: she can't defeat a cloud that uses negative feelings to become stronger.Rarity is preparing for a big fashion-event, exhausted and worrying herself for every single detail. So her pony-friends send her to relax at a spa. When she arrives there, she is surprised to find out she has to wake up early each day and work.Fluttershy's story is by far the cutest. She enters an art competition with one of her extreme knitting creations from her secret room. But you know how Fluttershy is - shy to the moon and back. So she's not confident at all in her skills.Pinkie Pie was my favourite one - because she's my favourite character, maybe? Because she drank 314 bottles of the Pony World's equivalent of Coca Cola, she finally won two tickets to see her favourite clown's last performance ever. But Pinkie Pie doesn't see any sense in a world where Ponyacci doesn't "exist anymore" (that's how she calls it), so she finds a way for him to still contribute to the community as a clown.We have Applejack's story at the end of this volume. A sweet story about the importance of your family, and understanding you don't have to be on your own or prove anything because they'll always be there for you. It was a little bit boring with some repetitve booby traps placed by Applejack in order to capture the creature that is suposedly destroying a family holiday.Overall, this book not only teaches young children the value of friendship, but is also a fun read for bronies. ;)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if everything you wanted to change in your life suddenly did? Would your life be perfect then? Joanna Murphy wishes she wouldn’t be so tall. Petite girls – she thinks – are more attractive. Or, at least, James – her best friend – seems to only date this particular type of girls. If only he could fall in love with her as she did him! And now that her mother is pregnant with her new husband – the fat, disgusting Stan that Joanna can’t stand – the mother and daughter trip to Europe they have been planning for a long time won’t happen after all. On the roof of her house, stargazing, Joanna makes three wishes when shee sees a rather unique shooting star. Little she knows that her life is going to change exactly as she wanted to… only things will not be as good as she hoped.I related a little to this story, and probably this is one of the reasons why I liked this book so much. Having to share your mother with a total stranger that appears suddenly in your life and marries her all of a sudden – that sounds exactly like what happened to me when my mother remarried a year ago. And while I don’t react as violently nor downright hate the guy like Joanna did, I totally understand her feelings of jealousy that her mother isn’t hers alone anymore.James is a key character in this story. He is the one who finds Joanna when she falls off the roof after she makes those three wishes and heals her. He claims he’s an alien with a secret mission on Earth, and since Joanna is totally into Sci-Fi… she believes him. Especially when he shows her again his powers. Joanna, with the help of James, will learn a very important lesson – that everything is as it is for a reason and that we should be happy with our lives as they are, and not wish for the circumstances to magically change for our selfish reasons.“Visited” turned out to be more than I expected, more than what the cover and blurb indicated. My expectations were certainly exceeded and I look forward to reading more books by Janine Caldwell. My only regret is that it ended so quickly. I wish the story continued at least for a few more chapters, but then… the ending is perfect as it is and maybe further extending the book would have ruined some if its charm. “Visited” was very inspiring and I would definitely recommend it to all teenage girls looking for a great read.- Originally written for my blog: http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/09/07/review-giveaway-visited-by-janine-caldwell/#sthash.500OGLlV.dpuf

Reviewed for book tour. Check here for giveaway: 23 Aug. - 2 Sept. 2013 http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/08/23/review-and-giveaway-uninvited-by-leah-spiegel-and-meg-summers-book-tour/I must admit one of the first things that got my attention was this book's super-cute cover. What can I say? It's something we all do, even some wouldn't admit it. Reading the plot summary, I thought it would be a fun read - and it was: a perfect summer read for me. So I was pretty excited when my book arrived, signed by both authors, who are sisters, and started reading it as soon as I finished with my exams and came home from my holiday out of town.Initially, I was a bit disappointed. There were kind of more typos than I like to see in my books, but the funny thing is that after a few tens of pages, the typos became inexistent. And not just because I was super into the story, but the book was probably more carefully edited from then on. Now the plot may seem similar to Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars. At least that's what I thought ar first. We have the missing teenage girl and her friends trying to play detective and find her. And I must say, I admire their friendship. Not many people would break the law like that and risk getting expelled or worse, arrested, just to make sure their friend is safe.The characters are typical teenage girls. The protagonist is Alley, a simple girl with a good sense of humour, who ends up being in the most popular clique at highschool because she's Val's best friend. While I loved Alley, I have mixed feelings for Val. It just seemed a little odd someone so klutzy and... dumb, would be so popular. The most popular girl position is occupied by Kristen - the girl who goes missing. And, typically, her friends think Shane - the new guy - is guilty for her disappearance. Alley also thinks she's being followed by him, but the police claim he has a strong alibi. And you will have an amazing surprise when you find out who he actually is! So... who's actually behind Val's disappearance? And who's dealing drugs? The two cases are somehow connected. I love this kind of investigation stories, where teens try to find out the culprit, but, unfortunately, I guessed who was the guilty one right from the beggining. Even so, the book is a very fun read.I really enjoyed Alley's and Shane's hilarious conversations. The chemistry between the two is glowing right from the moment they meet. I'm really curious how their taboo relationship will develop later in the series. And while I'm reluctant to start new book series, I'm glad this book has a clear ending, independent of the rest of the series. So you can read "Uninvited" without fearing you won't keep up with your other series. Another character I liked reading about was Alley's dog, Buddy. The two are like a comic duo, with Buddy's behaviour and Alley's inability to make him obey.You will explore Alley's life as she tries to find her place in a group of girls that only accepted her because of her friendship with Val, and not of her personality, and at the same time save your friend. At first glance a typical teenager story, "Uninvited" is more than that. It's a sweet story about friendship, devotion and trust, with a comedy topping. A perfect read for a summer day or when a moment you are in need of some cheering up and relaxation. For me, it was great to read about the period of my life that just ended a few months ago - highschool.

I hate leaving bad reviews... I really do, especially when it's such a sweet story. But I've always been totally honest in my reviews, and I'm not going to stop now.Erin is a very special girl. She was born with a birthmark, and because of it, everybody treats her like she's a freak. Even she believes that about herself. The only ones who love her for who she is are her parents and her sister and... this boy at school, Sean, who seems to be interested. Later in the book, Erin finds out why she has the birthmark and makes real friends for the first time... She even gets the boy, which is (apart from predictable) very nice.But... there is a BUT. As sweet as the story is, it's 90% tell and 10% show. The phrases the author uses are very short, and the words are very basic and simple, as if the targeted readers are 12 year-olds. I was also very bothered by the TONS of punctuation errors and grammatical mistakes. The most annoying mistake was that where should have been written "used" - past tense, the author wrote "use" - the present form. Then we have the missing commas, missing apostrophes, unnecessary commas, full-stops instead of commas, dialogues where it's unclear who is talking... and a huge amount of missing letters from words. The book is in need of serious editing.Apart from being full of grammatical and punctuation errors, I felt as if the important parts were rushed, while insignificant events, such as taking breakfast or brushing one's teeth were repeatedly mentioned over and over again - in details. Another thing that I disliked was how important dialogues were just summarised by Erin. For instance, when Erin tells her sister about her powers, we get three sentences with a vague mention of how she reacted to the news.To sum up, the book has a story of great potential, but fails to deliver. Not recommended.

I was intrigued by this book especially since English is not my mother tongue. Eye Rhymes intended to create silly poems of words that should rhyme because they have the same ending letters... but don't.What was initially cute and funny soon turned out boring, nonsensical and annoying. After the first fourth of the book, I had to drop it. I did pick it up again after a few months, only for the sake of finishing it. I'm not going to lie about it, I'm sorry I did. I was looking for the same amusement I found in the first few pages but never found it again.Maybe native English speakers would find it cuter, more enjoyable than I did.

Originally published on my blog:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/05/01/review-a-discovery-of-witches-by-deborah-harkness/"It begins with absence and desire.It begins with blood and fear.It begins with a discovery of witches."Have you ever read books that, after you finish them, make you think the characters and everything are out there, somewhere in this world? And when you turn that last page and close the book, you just stare into nothingness and wonder what they are doing now… yearn to meet them and shake their hands and just hug them and tell them you love them and admire them. I rarely get this kind of intense feeling from a book and I was surprised when “A Discovery of Witches” brought out this emotions for me.The first thing that caught my attention was the incredibly detailed description of everything. I could practically smell and taste the tea Diana drinked, perfectly imagine the room she was in to the tiniest details like what kind of wood her desk was made of. Some may argue that this attention to the details distracts your attention from the actual plot. Let me tell you this: it wasn’t the case for me. I think we are so used to finding the paranormal theme in YA books lately, that when we find a much more complex book (after all, this one is aimed at an adult public), some of the readers are overwhelmed.Reading a book about a historian witch actually written by a historian (and a great one, might I add) was amazing, spectacular, incredible, breath-taking (and these adjectives aren’t even nearly enough to describe my experience). Deborah, if any miracle brings you somehow to my review, let me tell you: you are a genius! I practically wanted to get my hands myself on the manuscripts Diana was researching, feel their texture, read them even though I know close to nothing in Latin, discover their secrets, enjoy the smell of old books. My book edition had an interview with Deborah about the novel, and, as I had anticipated, the bewitched alchemical manuscript Diana finds (Ashmole 782) is real, but lost, with nobody knowing what it contains. I never imagined myself to become so passionate about history. My mind is practically screaming: what is IN that book? I want to know! Both our world’s manuscript, and Deborah’s invented world!Have I ever read a 700-paged book? No. Am I scared of big books? Yes. It took me three weeks to finish this one (damn you, final year of highschool!) And I devoured it, even though I didn’t have time to read it at the pace I would’ve wanted to. Would I read this again? Absolutely! And I’m not one of those who re-read books. There’s too much waiting on my to-be-read pile. But this trilogy? I think I’ll break my rule and re-read it when it’s all finished. I want to fully enjoy the incredible puzzle. So far, there were a lot of clues scattered on the many pages and I’m sure I will forget some of them on the way, so I want to re-read knowing what to be looking after.In “A Discovery of Witches”, there are four creatures inhabiting the world: the plain humans, witches, vampires and demons. As you might have guessed, humans don’t know about the existence of the other three species. Oh, and let me add: witches, vampires and demons hate each other and it is forbidden for them to mix with one another. Wich brings us to… yeah, witch Diana and vampire Matthey and their incredible chemistry, yet taboo love. Before you dismiss this book as yet another forbidden love one, read the rest of what I have to say… or at least type. It is true that the other creatures will try to break them up… but that is only the surface of what we think it is happening. The book is actually not only about the freedom of loving whomever you want, but about the future of all the species, the next step in the evolutionary staircase if you want. Unexpected alliances will be formed, breathtaking secrets revealed and surprinsing turns of events will occur.I cannot remember how many times I closed the book in shock, said “This can’t be what I think it is!”, opened it again, read the last few phrases, reclosed it, “This changes everything!” and so on. And this is a debut novel? Are you kidding me? Who writes like that? What are you, Deborah? Are you sure you’re not a daemon – you’re too much of a genius! I am torn between reading the next one and desperately waiting for the series finale (which is announced for 2013) or saving it up so I can enjoy the last two at a time? Neah… I don’t think I can patiently stare at “Shadow of Night” and not read it.Did you have the patience to follow my first crazy-like review? You are a sweetie! It means I probably made you want to read the book too! So be a good girl/boy and go the the library, book shop or whatever and do not come back without a copy. You can thank me later. :)

Published on my blog:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/04/28/review-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-volume-1/It all happened one day... when I was browsing NetGalley's new titles and I've seen this cute comic. As a huge fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic TV series, I just had to read this! It was exactly what I was looking for, maybe even better!The drawings are incredibly cute, although a little bit different from how the ponies have been drawn in the actual show. The story really grabbed my attention from the very first pages and I couldn't wait to read the rest. The wedding episode was my favourite one in the second season and I was thrilled to see more of the Changelings - they make awesome villains.This comic about friendship and love is suited for all age groups, little children, as well as crazy people like me who are in love with the show. It also teaches patience, endurance, optimism and... what's most important... never giving up.The dialogue is very well written. I actually read it in each pony's voice the entire time. I found myself laughing out loud every few pages. You can't not love these amazing ponies, with their unique, different personalities, joined together by the magic of love.P.S.: Pinkie Pie is by far my favourite character, with her random, cheerful personality.

Publicată prima dată pe blogul meu:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/04/11/recenzie-apocalipsa-dupa-ceausescu-sergiu-somesan/În ultima vreme, cum editurile româneşti se preocupă în principal cu scoaterea pe bandă rulantă a cărţilor de mare succes dincolo de graniţele României, s-ar părea că am uitat să apreciem valoarea literaturii autohtone. Mea culpa, şi eu sunt o cititoare a literaturii americane şi britanice, mai ales de când am şi un Kindle pe care pot să o citesc în limba engleză. În afara literaturii din programa de bacalaureat şi a câtorva clasici precum Mircea Eliade, Cella Serghi sau Ionel Tudoreanu, am “degustat” din scriitorii români contemporani prea puţin. Astfel se explică încântarea mea în momentul în care domnul Sergiu Someşan m-a întrebat dacă mi-ar plăcea să-i citesc romanul intitulat “Apocalipsa după Ceauşescu” şi să-mi împărtăşesc părerea.Trebuie să recunosc, însă, că nu ştiam la ce să mă aştept. Netrăind vremurile comunismului, ştiind despre cum se trăia pe atunci doar din poveştile părinţilor şi bunicilor, şi a orelor de istorie de la şcoală, mă temeam că nu voi aprecia cartea la adevărata ei valoare. M-am înşelat.Încă de la primul capitol, mi-a căzut drag personajul principal, un bătrânel simpatic, pensionar, fost profesor. De unde porneşte toată povestea? Protagonistul nostru, pe nume Adam, este pasionat de lectură şi are o problemă. El intuieşte că ar mai avea de trăit vreo zece ani, şi cum citeşte doar patru cărţi pe lună, nu are cum să termine de citit cele 1000 de cărţi pe care şi le cumpărase. Cred că pot spune că toţi şoriceii de bibliotecă îl înţelegem perfect pe Adam şi ne regăsim în situaţia lui, aceea de a nu avea suficient timp pentru lectură. În această situaţie, singurul său prieten care-l mai vizitează, Virgil, un inginer mecanic, tot pensionat, care “vede sunete şi aude tensori”, pune la cale un plan prin care să-i prelungească viaţa lui Adam cu cel puţin zece ani. Ei, bine, de aici, totul o ia razna. Cum? Nu pot să vă spun fără să vă stric surpriza, dar implică universuri paralele, călătorii în timp şi multe evenimente stranii.Scriitura este cu totul deosebită. Dialogul este frumos construit, descrierile exact cât trebuie de detaliate şi avem parte, pe lângă cele menţionate anterior, şi de umor. Da, aşa cum se intuieşte din titlu, subiectul politicii se regăseşte în roman, dar nu într-o formă plictisitoare. Să spunem doar că autorul “spune lucrurilor pe nume” în stilul său unic.Cartea este prima dintr-o trilogie, şi eu una de-abia aştept continuarea, intitulată “Apocalipsa după Virgil”. Dacă v-am captat atenţia, vă invit să citiţi romanul, care poate fi găsit şi pe blogul autorului.

Originally posted on my blog:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/04/08/review-mind-games-by-kiersten-white/actual rating: 2.5I’m not very sure what I was exactly expecting when I started this book, but I received a totally different thing from what I imagined. Firstly, the book has two main characters – the sisters – and we get to read the story from both of their perspective… in a double first person narrative. Some chapters are from Fia’s point of view, others from Annie’s. It sounds confusing, and it is… at first. It took me around a third of the book to get used to this way of telling the story.Fia’s mind… I found it tricky to understand. I initially thought the tap tap tapping and word word word repeating were just the author’s way of writing. It was annoying and hard to enjoy, but after that third of the book, I understood it was just Fia’s way of thinking. Her mind is confusing and her thoughts are sometimes inconsistent because she is trying very hard not to let anyone read her mind and anticipate her plans. Because that’s what the book is actually about. It’s a mind game with Readers, Feelers and Seers – and whatever Fia is, as nobody knows that yet. I’m not very sure I bought the fact that you can hide and alter your feelings and thoughts completely all the time though.Annie’s mind is more relaxed, more focused, but also depressing. I found the crossing from one sister’s point of view to the other’s too abrupt. It was also tiring to keep reading how they are blaming themselves for a tragedy they couldn’t have stopped from happening. I understand their guilt is natural, but there was no reason to keep mentioning it so often.The romance was present, but not as you would expect it. Fia is in love with the son of the school’s founder (aka the one who ruined her life), so she keeps fighting against her feelings, but she always ends up in his arms somehow (don’t they always do that?). At the same time she wants to have a normal life and be with Adam, whose life she saves, but she doesn’t allow herself to have him because she has done some “terrible things”.The story itself turned out to be enjoyable after all. There was a moment when I thought of dropping it and starting another book, but I got back to it and finished it and I don’t regret my decision one tiny bit. As I mentioned, after getting past one third of the book, I got used to the writing style, the characters and the plot, and from that moment, it was a somewhat entertaining ride. The book had the potential to be something amazing, although the concept that started it wasn’t unheard of. If it wasn’t for Fia’s incoherent thoughts (which made the book to be incoherent too), I know I would’ve loved it for sure. I will probably read the sequel too, in hope to see an improvement, and hopefully character development.

M-am îndrăgostit de seria “Temeraire” a lui Naomi Novik şi de stilul autoarei încă de la primul volum, “Dragonul Majestăţii Sale”. De aceea, mă doare inima să îi dau doar patru flori de vanilie de cinci, însă vreau să fiu corectă cu mine însămi şi cu cititorii mei.După aflarea rasei din care Temeraire face parte, o rasă extrem de rară, este de la sine înţeles că Împăratul Chinei nu va renunţa atât de uşor la dragonul destinat iniţial lui Napoleon Bonaparte. Întrebarea care se ridică e: de ce ar fi renunţat la ou de la bun început? Răspunsul îl vor afla Laurence şi camarazii lui în China, unde sunt nevoiţi să călătorească din pricina imposibilităţii aviatorului de a se despărţi de dragonul său (şi a dragonului de el). Lunga călătorie pe mare ocupă mai mult de jumătate din roman şi, oricât de încărcată de aventuri se dovedeşte, am simţit dorul interacţiunilor dintre Temeraire şi ceilalţi dragoni (rămaşi, fireşte, în Anglia). Şi ceea ce ar fi trebuit să fie mai important şi mai bine dezvoltat, exact timpul petrecut în China, este parcă grăbit şi insuficient.Bătăliile de proporţii epice nu lipsesc nici din acest al doilea roman al seriei, chiar dacă se regăsesc într-o formă mai diferită. Avem parte de trei porţii sănătoase de lupte, una mai grandioasă şi mai crâncenă decât cealaltă. Iubitoare a culturii asiatice cum sunt, m-am delectat de prezenţa chinezilor pe vasul transportor de dragoni (pe care din nu ştiu ce pricină nu mi l-am putut imagina oricât am încercat), dar mai ales de perioada pe care eroii noştri o petrec în China, unde descoperă maniera lor unică de a convieţui cu numeroşii dragoni, care se bucură de o libertate necunoscută lui Temeraire şi a dragonilor englezi. Comploturile chinezilor sunt clare de la început, însă nu se clarifică exact cine şi ce plănuieşte decât spre final, când totul se rezolvă mai mult sau mai puţin, cu bine.Ceea ce m-a îndurerat într-un fel, fără însă a-mi strica plăcerea lecturii, este felul în care se maturizează Temeraire. Se pune accentul pe faptul că dragonul începe să înţeleagă anumite lucruri şi, cum e normal, să-i displacă lipsa libertăţii şi faptul că trebuie să se supună Guvernului Britanic, aşa cum chiar el afirmă acest aspect la un moment dat. Partea şi mai neplăcută este aceea că el se depărtează, dacă pot spune aşa, de Laurence. Dragonul şi căpitanul oscilează între perioade de afecţiune şi perioade de gelozie sau răceală pe parcursul cărţii. Cu toate acestea, legătura dintre ei supravieţuieşte, aşa cum e de aşteptat, orice obstacole, însă cred că mi-ar fi plăcut să văd aceeaşi relaţie de apropiere dintre cei doi ca în primul roman. Finalul este neaşteptat şi lasă loc unei continuări cu un potenţial de proporţii colosale.Eu recomand din toată inima această serie tuturor iubitorilor de Fantasy.

Originally published on my blog:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/03/30/review-eyes-like-stars-theatre-illuminata-1-lisa-mantchev/"Eyes Like Stars" has grabbed my attention almost an year ago, when I got my Kindle. The title, the cover, the plot... they all intrigued me. I added the book to my to-be-read pile, and forgot about it... until now. What made me remember was taking part in a Paranormal Reading Challenge that required reading a book with Fae for the month of March. And so I realised there was a Faery book I really wanted to read for a long time.I must admit I was very confused at the beggining of this book. Though I knew what it was about, it took me a chapter or two to realise that the Players were all the actual characters from plays, with Bertie being the only one who didn't truly belong... or so it seemed.I really missed reading about a character as unique as Bertie was. Her imagination and rebelious attitude, combined with her smart lines and her sense of humour made her a very realistic character, one easy to like. I found the dialogues very well written, at times hilarious,“You didn't just write the play, Bertie," Peaseblossom said suddenly. "You ordered the Players about, shouted, and threw an artistic hissy fit. Do you know what that makes you?" "A temperamental fusspot?" Mustardseed guessed. "Crazier than a bag full of crazy?" Moth said. "Close," Peaseblossom said. "It makes her a Director.”...but inspirational and touching at the right moment.“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”Though I'm tired of finding love triangles in so many books lately, the one in this book is so subtle and realistic, that I couldn't not enjoy it. Nate (the pirate) is a funny character, and I cheered for him most of the time, while Ariel (from Shakespeare's "Tempest") is charming and seductive, and at times very annoying.The faeries (from A Midsummer Night's Dream) were a cute addition to the story. I found their role in the story quite interesting, and I couldn't help being amused by their hilarious behaviour, and touched by their loialty to Bertie.The story is unique, full of interesting ideas, none of which I would've thought of. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, boom! - a surprise is thrown at me.This goes without saying on my favourites shelf, and as much as I would've loved to give it a 5-vanilla-flower rating, I am forced to take one out due to the confusing parts. I'm definitely reading the sequel as soon as I can, as I must find out what happens to Bertie, Nate, Ariel and the faeries. I recommend this book to those in search of something different.

Recenzie publicată iniţial pe blogul meu: http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/03/23/recenzie-sapte-povesti/Îndrăgind poveştile scurte şi vrând totodată să citesc şi ceva din literatura clasică, am cumpărat această carte în urmă cu câteva săptămâni, mai ales că era o noutate la Editura Nemira şi aveam o reducere de care doream să profit. Îmi era dor să citesc poveşti de dragoste emoţionante, şi nu am fost dezamăgită.Ce mi-ar fi plăcut, totuşi, să ştiu înainte de a o achiziţiona este că urma să fie vorba despre şapte poveşti de dragoste neîmplinită. Cu toate acestea, măiestria cu care acestea au fost scrise a îndulcit tristeţea ce m-a cuprins cu sfârşitul fiecărei povestioare. Cred că m-au impresionat cel mai mult chiar prima şi ultima, aproape până la lacrimi.E incredibil modul în care aceşti celebri scriitori, deşi bărbaţi, cunosc atât de bine sufletul femeii (vezi “Scrisoare de la o necunoscută” de Stefan Zweig şi “Ultima iubire” de Arnold Bennett”). O treabă minunată au făcut şi traducătoarele. Având în vedere că, în original, poveştile au fost scrise în engleză, franceză germană şi rusă, este de lăudat faptul că limbajul păstrează un farmec aparte.Majoritatea scrise la persoana I, poveştile debordează de gândurile şi sentimentele de dragoste pură ale personajelor, care iubesc necondiţionat, neaşteptând nimic în schimb. Este vorba despre acea iubire profundă, despre care unii afirmă că o simţi doar o dată în viaţă, şi care îi cuprinde pe protagoniştii celor şapte poveşti. Unii se resemnează, alţii se amăgesc sau cad în deprimare, cert e că m-am regăsit în multe dintre pasajele cărţii, pe care am citit-o pe nerăsuflate.Cu siguranţă, o astfel de lectură e ca o gură de aer proaspăt după multele romane contemporare şi fantasy în care m-am îngropat în ultima vreme. O recomand din inimă oricui, oricând, oriunde.

I picked this book up as it was free on Amazon. I usually like short stories, and this one was ok too, though I had higher expectations from it.The descriptions were very detailed, and the plot intriguing, but for some reason I couldn't connect to the main characters, maybe partly because of how fast everything was happening.There could be made a lot of improvements in how the story is developed. Why are the Faeries a danger for humanity? Why are Amy, Craig and Jay the ones who hold the responsibility of attacking them? While I'm ok with the mysterious ending, I think readers would have to know more background information to fully enjoy the story.

Originally published on my blog:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/03/15/review-rhyns-redemption/I don’t think I’ve ever read before an entire trilogy in a 2 weeks’ time. I only delayed writing the review of this last book because I was very caught up in working on my very first novel. But that’s another story, and you’re here to read my thoughts on “Rhyn’s Redemption” by YA Paranormal Romance writer Lizzy Ford.This final book in the Rhyn Trilogy series answers to all the questions we’ve ever had from the first two novels. It is full of surprises and also the key to solving the puzzle formed by the prequels. If I had to sum up this book in one sentece, I’d say it is a clever and exciting chess game between Death itself and Darkyn, who are caught between a win or lose all situation. Who is the one who gives the Checkmate? You can only find out by reading it. So many incredible things happening in this book, I barely manage not to spoil it for you, dear review reader!Let me just say this: Toby, I knew your role was much more important than we were led to believe. I love my instincts! And I can’t stress enough how much I adored Deidre and Gabriel in this last book. Rhyn and Katie were awesome as always, I could actually feel how worried they were for each other.Oh, Lizzy Ford, how you manage to capture your readers’ attention! With lots of unexpected turns of events, how could I get bored? Cheating death, finding the loopholes in rules older than time, accepting your destiny, but at the same time trying to change it, the book doesn’t lack at all in action. I find it annoying when this kind of books focus too much on the couples and their chemistry, but Rhyn’s Trilogy has just the right amount of Romance. It’s not what I’d call girlish either. Finding the balance and adding the right amounts of everything in a YA book may be tricky, but Lizzy Ford managed to find the perfect recipe with the Rhyn series!This, of course, goes straight to my “favourites” shelf, mainly because of the passion with wich I savoured everything that happened. From the annoying characters that I loved to hate, to the amazing protagonists, the characters all seem very realistic, despite this being a Fantasy book. It’s really the exact thing I am looking for in a YA Paranormal Romance, and I was happy to find it at the time when I thought this genre was no longer fit for my reading tastes. I recommend it with all my heart to lovers of this genre.

Originally published on my blog, in both ENG and RO:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/03/04/review-katies-hope-rhyn-trilogy-2-lizzy-ford/“Katie’s Hellion” was, as first books in series usually are, more of an introduction into this fantasy world, though one very full of action. “Katie’s Hope” picks up the adventures of Katie and Rhyn right from where the first novel ended. The roles are reversed this time. Katie is the one who tries to push Rhyn away, afraid she is not fit to survive in his dangerous world, while Rhyn is determined to prove to her that he is more than capable of protecting and loving her, though he has moments when he doubts it himself.The black sheeps of their families, the two make a perfect match. However, it takes time until they can accept it and fully surrender to their feelings.“I watch them watch you,” he said. “You draw them out on your runs, and I kill them. We’re a good team.”“Until the day you’re not there.” Her words escaped before she thought to filter them.The irony is that exactly black sheep Rhyn, the so-called traitor, is the only one capable of keeping his brothers together in the Council. He is clearly more honourable and good-hearted than Kris, who is everything but not selfless. And Katie at least can take care of herself and think for herself, things I can’t really say about Hannah, the sister who cares only about climbing the social ladder while looking pretty in latest fashion brand clothes. But family means something to them despite the fact that they are better than their siblings, another thing that makes Rhyn and Katie superior.As for the other supernatural characters, I kind of grew a little fond of one of the Immortal brothers, Kiki, and I’m clearly starting to really like Gabriel, Death’s Assasin, who has a more important role in the story as I have initially thought. I’m not very sure what to say about baby-angel Toby, who only managed to complicate things so far, but I’m sensing there’s more to him then we tend to believe.The novel is full of twist and turns, betrayals and unexpected alliances are formed, all of them making the book a fast-paced adventure where you often find yourself holding your breath while turning page after page. The unique story is told in a very fitting way, and one of its merits is its unpredictability. I could tell one or two things that were coming up, but never did I trully know where the plot was heading. Full of surprises – that’s how I love my books.The ending definitely surprised me and made me jump right to the next novel in the series, a thing I can state about any of Lizzy Ford’s novels, who are cleverly ended in cliffhangers. I highly recommend this series to paranormal romance readers, with the mention that it is aimed at more mature readers (let’s say 16+).

Originally posted on my blog, in both ENG and ROhttp://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/02/23/review-katies-hellion-rhyn-trilogy-1-lizzy-ford/When I started this book I was already in love with Lizzy Ford’s Witchling Trilogy and I would have never imagined there was a possibility Rhyn might take its place as my favourite LF book series. I read the book in two days, something I rarely manage to do, since I am in the final year of highschool and have a lot of studying to do.I have been reading a lot of Paranormal Romance lately, from vampire to witches novels, and it is very refreshing when I discover books with supernatural creatures so unique as the Rhyn Trilogy has. We have demons, angels and Immortals – blood eating beings similar to angels, protectors of the human race.My favourite aspect about this book is how real the characters seem to be. They are easy to love, and make you really care about what happens to them, especially Katie and Rhyn. I especially liked how their relationship develops throughout the book, from hate to acceptance, and finally love.Katie is a very strong character. It’s incredible how she manages to keep her sanity when the world as she knew it is crushing down. It’s really hard for me not to give you spoilers on what happens to her, but I think you will love her character as much as I did. Rhyn, on the other hand, was not to my liking at first. But after reading about his background, it all made sense and I actually found myself cheering up for him. It’s one of those characters that you sometimes want to punch at some point, but you can’t help loving him at the same time.I am already used to Lizzy Ford’s writing style and I must say I love it. You can tell she has writing in her blood, as her books keep you glued to them. Full of incredible action, amazing characters and unique stories – what’s not to like? A must-read for any Paranormal Romance fan.