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VanillaMoon

Vanilla Moon

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Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
Philip Pullman, Jacob Grimm
Pure Dead Magic
Debi Gliori
Ballet Shoes: A Story of Three Children on the Stage (Puffin Books) - Noel Streatfeild Originally published in both ENG and RO on my blog:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/02/22/review-ballet-shoes-noel-streatfeild/I must admit that what first got me interested in this book was seeing the movie with Emma Watson as Pauline in 2007. However, six years have passed until I actually decided: I want to read this book. Another important factor in my decision to read it was also the Pre-1960′s Classic Children’s Books Reading Challenge hosted by Turning the Pages I am participating in this year. But how and why I read this book is not as important as how great it turned out to be!From the first sentence, I felt transported to the time I was ten and reading books like “The Secret Garden” or “Little Women”. There is a certain feel these old children’s books have and nostalgia accompanied me until the last page. It seems that my fear of not liking children’s books at my age was unfounded."If other girls had to be one of us, which would they choose?"Pauline was by far my favourite character, perhaps because she was the oldest of the three children, and thus more mature, a leader if I can call her like that. Rational, ambitious, learning from her past mistakes, unaware of her beauty and ready to sacrifice her savings to help paying the bills, the much needed clothes and so on…However, the mystery of this novel is Posy. The book mostly follows Pauline’s evolution, and as Petrova is usually in the same theatrical pieces as Pauline is, we don’t get to “see” much of Posy. Her training with Madame Fidolia is kept under secret too, so we can only guess what kind of ballet moves she is taught.The book is mostly about how these three girls are growing up, balancing studying, training for their careers and actually working as performers on stage. It is, consequently, slow-paced and descriptive, however it doesn’t lack in humorous moments. For instance, when Gum (Great Uncle Matthew) brings the orphan Pauline to her 16 year-old niece, Sylvia, who is reluctant in taking her, he says:"I thought all women like children!"Posy is also a “little monster” who mocks everyone’s behaviour by imitating them in a hilarious way, a “talent” of her most visibile in the second half of the book.I recommend “Ballet Shoes” to children of all ages, and to adults who want to remember their childhood.
Autumn Storm  - Lizzy Ford Read the full review in both ENG and RO on my blog.http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/02/16/review-autumn-storm/This review may containg spoilers from book 1 and 1.5Oh… my… glasses! And I thought “Dark Summer” ended in a huge cliffhanger! Compared to this one’s ending… it’s nothing. Thank God there’s the “Autumn Dawn” novella-sequel! I will probably go crazy if I don’t find out soon what’s going to happen.OK. Now that I’ve had my crazy fangirl moment, it’s time I shared with you my thoughts about this book. First things first. If you haven’t read anything from this series, you don’t know what you’re missing. But if you have already read the first book, then I suggest you don’t skip the “Summer Night” novella before you read “Autumn Storm”, so you can enjoy the continuity of the story.Thanks to Beck and Rania, Summer reincarnates as Autumn, to have a second chance to do what’s right and, more importantly, help Decker stand up to his Darkness. What’s really refreshing is how different Autumn is compared to Summer. Sure, she is the same innocent girl and has the same magical powers, but she is stronger, more able to stand up to herself. I think I could say that her death as Summer was necessary, as she wouldn’t have been able to help Decker as naive as she was in her past life.Autumn can’t shake the feeling that she has been before to the boarding school, and already met some of the people who study there. And what I really love is how there is a connection between her and Summer, a ghost of herself, her past. Summer guides Autumn and tries to make her understand what her role is, but it’s very difficult since Autumn’s memories are being blocked with magic.Decker goes crazy after Summer’s death, and he is fooled to believe surrendering to Darkness would solve all of his problems. He is trying to deal with the situation by doing immoral things, and I know that some people don’t like this sort of characters in books, but they should accept that not everybody is a role model. If an author chooses to write about such things, it doesn’t mean that the author is setting a bad example. On the contrary, I could say that he or she is showing the “how not”.The action was fast-paced, and I would have liked more detailed descriptions of what the characters were doing and their surroundings. However, we get more insight into the Turner family and how the magic works, and that’s really great since the underexplained magic was one of the things that I didn’t quite like in the first book. I’m very hungry for this kind of things and even now, I still crave to find out more about everything.There’s something magical in the way Lizzy Ford writes. Sometimes I wonder what kind of glue is put on the covers of her books, as I can’t put them down easily. “One more chapter” I tell myself over and over. You can’t help falling in love with her stories and before you realise you are addicted to one or more of her series.
Billy Fog Volume 1: The Gift of Trouble Sight - Guillaume Bianco Originally published in both ENG and RO on my blog:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/02/10/review-billy-fog-1/My Rating: 1/5ReviewI was intrigued when I read the description of this book and I didn’t hesitate a second and requested it on NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I like Lemony Snicket’s books and since this book was compared to it, I didn’t think even for a minute that I wouldn’t like this one too.Now I’m not very sure what the aimed age group this graphic novel is intended for, but I, for one, can’t imagine a child enjoying this. It’s very creepy, the sort of book that would give nightmares to those of young age. Then again, for young adults this may be boring, as it was for me.I actually liked the first few stories in it, but only to be bored out of my mind reading the next ones, to the point where I was scrolling down the digital pages, reading everything with less interest than someone has when looking at the ingredients written on a product’s packaging.Billy was cruel with his sister and downright annoying the whole time. The secondary characters didn’t impress me at all, with the exception of a little pity I felt for Billy’s sister and his cat – for having to deal with that boy, of course.Some of the poem/stories had very interesting rhymes and a certain mystery in them, and the drawings were pretty good, but all these were shadowed by the poor story.There were also some pages with information about the creatures in the book and what to do about them, but everything written in there was too silly for me to actually enjoy it.This book was certainly not for me, as I see a lot of people actually loved it. So don’t take my word. If you’re a fan of creepy stories and monsters, you might enjoy “Billy Fog”.
Notes from Ghost Town - Kate Ellison Read the full review on my blog, in both English and Romanian.http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/02/09/rewiew-notesfromghosttown/I have been reading a lot lately, and this made me become stricter and more selective with my books. But every once in a while, I come across a book that enages and inspires me so much that it becomes one of my favourites of all time. This was the case with “Notes From Ghost Town” by Kate Ellison. For some reason, I find it harder to express my feelings about books that I absolutely loved. There are so many thoughts I have about this book, I hope I am coherent in these following lines.The book deals with a series of very delicate issues: mental illnesses, death, divorce, losing all that is dear to you. The protagonist herself feels like she’s losing it, especially because her mother’s mental illness is hereditary. The fact that she suddenly sees everything in black, white and shades of grey (literally) doesn’t help either. Or the fact that Stern appears in her life as a ghost, insisting that her mother wasn’t the one who killed him. You can see how complicated the whole situation is, and how Olivia copes with all this is trully remarkable. She keeps telling herself that she might be crazy like her mother, but exactly the fact that she is having these thoughts shows that she is actually not. I love characters who are in a constant fight with their thoughts and emotions!The action is slow-paced at the beggining, with a focus on the main character’s feelings and thoughts, and I must say I love this kind of books. It reminded me of the British classics written by female authors I love so much (like the Bronte sisters) with all those inspirational phrases. I don’t usually highlight very much on my Kindle, but for this book I have 8 Kindle pages of highlights, and not just simple senteces, but whole paragraphs or pages from the book.I have been so immersed in the book from the very first page that I found myself thinking about it during the time I was not reading it. “Oh Susannah” was playing in my head and I actually sang it out loud while I was dressing or brushing my hair, like Olivia heard it in her mind right before Stern’s ghost appeared. I find it so sad, losing your best friend before having the chance to tell him you actually loved him. That’s probably the most clear lesson this book teaches you: don’t leave any unspoken feelings and thoughts.“Notes from Ghost Town” managed to fully engage me in its story. The whole tension and mystery in the book envelopped me and I couldn’t help but read page after page. Time stopped and I felt like I was living everything that Olivia did. Her smile was mine, her sorrow was mine, her tears were mine… literally. I can’t remember when a book last made me feel like this.The author did great not only in creating this unique story, but also in portraying the characters and making even the idea of Stern’s ghost seem realistic. I particullarly liked the idea of the Gray Space, the place that Olivia’s schizophrenic mother describes as a place of anti-art, antifeeling.I recommend this book to readers in search of something new. It’s not a typical thriller, not a typical romance and certainly not a typical paranormal book. It’s a very unique combination of the three and if you are a fan of one of these genres, and also like books that focus on feelings, you are sure to love this book too.
No Way Back (Mia's Way #1) - Chloe Adams Read the review in both English and Romanian on my blog, where it was originally published:http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/02/01/review-no-way-back/I have so many things to say about this book that I don’t even know where to start from! Let’s see… What made me want to read this book was actually the fact that it was recommended to me by a author that is very dear to me, so I told myself “Why not?” and, since the ebook was free, I took the chance… or so I thought. I am an air-head sometimes, you see, and when I wanted to start reading I realised I hadn’t finished the buying process. I was very sad at that moment, but… guess what? The same person who recommended it to me told me not to worry and actually gifted the ebook to me through Amazon. So I want to thank her again for being an amazingly generous person!Now… I remember posting about this book on my blog earlier this year, when the free offer was available, and some of you told me the cover is gorgeous, but that the girl has something weird about her eye. Well, guess what?! This is related to what happens in the book. And, if you look closely enough, you’ll notice a tear too. The attention to detail is incredible!Mia is everything I like in a character. Her development throughout the book is amazing, from a frightened girl who wants to hide in her closet forever, to one willing to fight till the end, no matter the consequences. There is a very powerful inner struggle in her, between her wish to forget everything that happened and that of doing the right thing. I love this kind of characters!The first thought that occured to me when I started the book, was that every single teenage girl should read the first chapter. They should know what can happen when they get drunk, accept drinks from strangers and go with them in secluded places. Yes, it is disturbing to read about rape. But it is also necessary to understand that life isn’t all milk and honey, and that you shouldn’t hide your head in the sand like an ostrich!Apart from the rape-chapter, the rest of the book focuses on Mia’s fight to get over the incident and move on. But how can she do that when she remembers who the attackers were? She has to choose between doing the right thing (which is a very long trial) and her family. Everyone telling her what she should do, playing with her emotions and setting her up doesn’t make things easier either.Another good thing about this book is that it’s not all about drama, it’s also about coming to terms about what is happening in your life. Everything happens for a reason and, as weird as it sounds, Mia benefits from this incident in a way that she wouldn’t have imagined. She gets closer to a part of her family, she finally understands them and will learn to slowly fall in love again, something she didn’t expect it.As much as I loved this book, it needs a little bit of “polishing” before it’s perfect. I wanted to give it five vanilla flowers, but the typos that I found here and there, and the fact that it ended so suddenly made me go for only four. This is the first ever book signed by Chloe Adams and I can’t wait for its sequel! And if you find your way to my review, please, please, don’t stop writing! It’s in your blood and the YA literature needs more books like this one! And you, dear readers, what are you waiting for? Grab your copy of “No Way Back” and read it! Seriously!
Freak of Nature (IFICS #1) - Julia Crane Read it on my blog, in both English and Romanian.http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/01/27/review-freak-of-nature/Actual rating: 3.5/5I would like to start this review by thanking Lizzy Ford, who gifted me this ebook on Amazon. Without her, I wouldn't have discovered this great series and author.I usually know right from the start when I'm holding a good book in my hand... or a Kindle with a great ebook on the screen. I was hooked right from the very first pages. Kaitlyn is a very intriguing character, after all she's half human, half robot. The most interesting thing is that those who have created her have tried to erase all of her human personality, her memories, her entire being and her feelings. But humans don't work like that. You can't switch a button and turn off how someone is. So Kaitlyn, despite losing her memories and all, still has feelings, but she has learnt to hide them, to put on a blank look so she doesn't lose what little she has left.Feeling is one thing, however understanding what each emotion means is another. Kaitlyn is struggling to understand why sometimes she feels like doing certain things that currently don't mean anything to her, like rolling her eyes."Kaitlyn reminded herself. Human emotions and reactions are nothing more than synapses firing, telling the brain what to do. For Kaitlyn, though, they weren't as strong anymore - the ghosts of feelings, just beyond her reach. But she knew they were there, and she knew she had them for Lucas - good feelings."Luckilly for her, Quess is there to help. She knows Kaitlyn is more than a robot and I must say that the dialogues between the two are hilarious as Kaitlyn doesn't understand the slang expressions Quess uses. More interesting is the relationship Kaitlyn develops with Lucas once he learns that she still has feelings. While I think is a little unrealistic for a man to fall in love with a robot designed to be a perfect killing machine, this whole concept intrigues me. And since I got to experience the story from Kaitlyn's and Lucas' points of view, I was actually cheering for them.Now as much as I loved the story development and characters, I was a little bothered by how simple everything ended. I think I was expecting a more dramatic turn of events, but even so, the book let me wanting for more, which is a good thing since this is a first in a series. There were a few typos that found their way into the book, but I think I can count them using my fingers, so I will not make a big deal out of it.All in all, I highly recommend this book to all SF/Romance lovers who want to engage in a new and unique series. And since it is a quick read of only 167 pages, I think you should give it a try.
Betrayed - Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast Originally posted on my blog.Bilingual Review: ENG / ROEnglishI have read the second part of the House of Night series as part of the Paranormal Reading Challenge 2013 and Sequel Reading Challenge 2013, both hosted by Auntie Spinelli Reads.The book version I read is a Romanian translation that was sold together with a magazine.When I picked the series up, it was because the ideas intrigued me: the blue Marks, the fact that vampirism is a genetic mutation, how fledglings can’t survive without being near an adult vampire, how many celebrities are vampires, the magic system with elements and so on.What I also liked is that it is a quick, easy read and that I could read it at school, in between classes, despite the noisy atmosphere, without losing my attention.I regret to say that I am starting to dislike Zoey, the main character, because of her attitude. She is dating Erik, while still seeing her ex-boyfriend AND receiving inappropriate attention from one of her teachers. It’s also annoying how she “gets” to be so special and talented. I see a Mary Sue, and a really disagreeable one.My favourite character is and will always be Stevie Rae, the only one who didn’t seem so much as a cliche. She makes everything so much easier to enjoy. I was actually eager to get to the scenes where she took part in, so eager that I flipped page after page.The Twins are just your regular BFFs that weirdly complete each other’s phrases all the time. I’ve seen such things happening between good friends, but… seriously? EVERY SINGLE TIME? That seems impossible.I also got annoyed by the fact that Zoey always mentions things like “I don’t have anything against gay or black people”. I think the authors wanted to show they don’t discriminate any groups, but they only manage to do the exact opposite thing.Aphrodite… there’s something more about her than meets the eye. I must say I’m starting to actually empathise with her.Were it not for Stevie Rae, the interesting ideas that I mentioned before and the cool ending, I would have given this book only one vanilla flower. But now… I think I’ll read the sequel, hoping there is an improvement.RomânăAm citit cea de-a doua parte a seriei Casa Nopţii ca parte a provocărilor Paranormal Reading şi Sequel Reading, ambele lansate de Auntie Spinelli Reads.Versiunea pe care am citit-o e cea în română, distribuită cu revista Bravo Girl.Când am început seria, a fost pentru că m-au fascinat ideile: semnele albastre, faptul că vampirismul e o mutaţie genetică, că novicii nu pot supravieţui dacă nu stau împreună cu vampirii adulţi, că multe celebrităţi sunt sau au fost vampire, sistemul magic cu elemente şi altele.Ceea ce mi-a plăcut, de asemenea, este că e o carte uşor de citit şi că am putut s-o iau cu mine la şcoală şi s-o citesc în pause fără să-mi pierd concentrarea.Regret să vă spun că începe să-mi displacă Zoey, personajul principal, din cauza comportamentului ei. Iese cu Erik, în timp ce încă se vede cu fostul prieten ŞI primeşte o atenţie nepotrivită din partea unuia dintre profesori. E, de asemenea, enervant faptul că e atât de specială şi talentată. Văd un personaj de tip Mary Sue, şi încă unul foarte dezagreabil.Personajul meu principal este şi rămâne Stevie Rae, singura care nu pare un clişeu. Ea face cartea mai plăcută. Am fost chiar nerăbdătoare să ajung la scenele din care făcea parte, încât dădeam pagină după pagină.Gemenele sunt genul de cele-mai-bune-prietene-pentru-totdeauna, care îşi completează în mod ciudat frazele de fiecare date. Se întâmplă de-astea între prieteni buni, dar… serios? DE FIECARE DATĂ? Pare imposibil.M-a enervate şi faptul că Zoey menţionează tot timpul lucruri gen „Nu am nimic cu homosexualii sau cei de culoare”. Cred că autoarele au vrut să arate că nu discriminează niciun grup, dar reuşesc să facă exact opusul.Afrodita… e ceva mai mult decât pare. Trebuie să spun că încep să o simpatizez.Dacă nu ar fi fost Stevie Rae, ideile interesante pe care le-am menţionat mai devreme şi sfârşitul super, i-aş fi dat cărţii numai o floare de vanilie. Dar acum… cred că voi citi continuarea, sperând că e mai bună.
Contesa Aneke (Ultima vrajitoare din Transilvania, #1) - Anna Vary Recenzie publicată iniţial pe blogul meu.Sunt puţini autori români publicaţi în prezent... sunt şi mai puţini care s-au axat pe fantasy. Curiozitatea mea faţă de acest roman atunci când am auzit de el, este, aşadar, uşor de înţeles. Nu cunosc foarte multe despre autoare, şi oricât am căutat pe internet, nu am aflat nimic. Pentru un roman de debut, "Contesa Aneke" este reuşit, şi în urmă cu câţiva ani, cu siguranţă i-aş fi dat nota maximă. Însă citind atât de mult şi făcându-mi un obicei din a scrie recenzii, mai ales în ultima vreme, am devenit mai exigentă cu notarea. Faptul că îi dau acestei cărţi doar 3 flori de vanilie din cinci nu înseamnă că nu mi-a plăcut. Ba din contră, a fost o lectură extrem de captivantă, dovadă fiind faptul că am terminat cartea în 25 de ore de la începerea ei, lucru ce mi se întâmplă foarte rar. Cu toate acestea, sunt conştientă că nu este o capodoperă literară şi îi văd minusurile la fel de bine cum îi văd plusurile.Am să încep, cum e firesc, prin a vă "vorbi" despre subiectul cărţii. Povestea, aşa cum am menţionat mai devreme, este nemaipomenit de captivantă. Avem parte de o adolescentă nonconformistă, rebelă, genul de puştoaică pasionată de gotic, de engime nerezolvate şi (ce surpriză plăcută!) care citeşte... nu orice, ci romane cu vampiri. Este trimisă la ţară, într-un sătuc uitat de lume din Transilvania, de către părinţi, din cauza unor sentimente nu tocmai potrivite pe care le are faţă de fratele ei vitreg, Răzvan. Alexandra, căci aşa se numeşte tânăra noastră, mi-a plăcut de la bun început. Asta poate şi pentru că am regăsit o prietenă de-a mea în personajul ei, dar în mare parte datorită curiozităţii şi curajului nebunesc de care dă dovadă. Răzvan, pe de altă parte, mi-a lăsat impresia unui băiat superficial, care nu dă doi bani pe nimic. Ah, rectific: dă foarte mulţi bani pe băuturile alcoolice, şi în cam 80% din roman ne onorează cu prezenţa lui în stare de ebrietate. Nu sunt o moralistă, dar, cum e firesc, nu am fost şi nu sunt de acord cu iubirea mai mult decât frăţească dintre cei doi, însă mi se pare genial modul în care Alexandra se aseamănă din atât de multe privinţe cu Aneke. Asta face puţin previzibilă direcţia spre care se îndreaptă cartea, fără însă a-i strica farmecul.Şi pentru că tot am adus vorba de morală, pentru că personajul principal este atât de nonconformist şi de rebel, aş fi preferat ca acţiunea să fi fost la persoana a treia. Nu pentru că nu-mi place faptul că a fost la persoana întâi, să nu mă înţelegeţi greşit! Dar, având în vedere că romanul este destinat adolescenţilor, mai cu seamă adolescentelor, cred că ar fi fost de preferat existenţa unui narator moralizator, întrucât vârsta e una uşor influenţabilă. Şi nu mă refer aici la consumul de alcool sau la incest, pentru că e clar că toată lumea ştie că nu se încadrează în categoria "model de urmat", ci la nişte aspecte mai subtile. Spre exemplu, felul în care Alexandra bea fără nicio reţinere din vinul pe care i-l oferă un străin în castelul în care locuise Aneke în urmă cu un secol. Sunt lucruri mărunte, ştiu asta, dar adunate, mi-au afectat impresia bună pe care mi-au lăsat-o povestea şi dialogurile.Şi asta mă duce la un alt punct forte al cărţii: dialogurile, dar mai ales locaţia. Felul în care sătenii vorbesc este atât de potrivit, că în timp ce citeam le atribuiam mintal şi accentul. Ex-cep-ţio-nal! Vorbirea tipică adolscenţilor, din nou potrivită cu măiestrie, deşi poate puţin exagerată pe ici, pe colo.Cât despre personaje? Cu excepţia fratelui vitreg, toate m-au fermecat. De la Lorena cea misterioasă, la Mathilde şi Johan, rudele la care Alexandra e trimisă.Scenele în care Alexandra explorează castelul şi alte construcţii în ruină care au legătură cu misterul contesei sunt foarte bine construite. Au o aură misterioasă, ca de altfel întreaga viaţă a Anekei (din care aflăm doar bucăţele, pe care noi trebuie să le asamblăm şi să formăm puzzle-ul) şi, trebuie să recunosc, unele chiar m-au făcut să mă cutremur, trimiţându-mi fiori de-a longul şirei spinării.Seria este foarte promiţătoare şi aştept cu nerăbdare continuarea, mai ales că acest prim volum ne cam lasă în suspans... E autohtonă, realistă (lucru mai rar întâlnit la romanele fantasy), bine construită atât din punct de vedere al poveştii, cât şi al personajelor şi dialogului, dar mai ales captivantă. Cred că orice iubitor al genului ar trebui să o citească.
The Stranger - Kyra Davis Originally published on my blog.Bilingual Review2.5 vanilla flowers / flori de vanilie EnglishI'm not a fan of cheating. I think those people who resort to it not only lie to the people around them, but also to themselves. However, I won't use this review to give someone a lecture, and I'm going to stick strictly to this book's qualities and flaws.Kasie is on the verge of getting married, although as she said it herself, her fiance is a good man, but she doesn't love him with the passion that she would like to. They are described by their families and friends as a "perfect couple", and Kasie herself wants to give this impression, but deep down, she knows she's not as pure as everybody thinks.When she meets Robert Dade, she knows in an instant they have a connection, and the passion between them is unlike anything she has ever known. At the same time, she begins to discover her true self, the side she has hidden from everybody else. However, she is torn between keeping her "pure image" and letting herself be free. Robert is the only one who knows who she really is, but she also loves Dave, her fiance, with whom she feels safe. She will have to choose between these two men, and her inner struggle is a fierce one.Kasie knows the future is unknown, that Dave doesn't want to see the things as they are, but as he wants them to be. With Dade, everything is simpler: she doesn't have to hide who she really is, doesn't have to give the appearance of a perfect woman. But then, can she throw away a six year old relationship for a man with whom she knows she might have no future? Can she dissappoint her family the same as her older sister did a long time ago? This fight between Kasie's two personalities is the book's cornerstone.The other characters are not memorable. We have Dave - the fiance -  the boring man who wouldn't know what passion is even if he had a dictionary, the kind of guy that thinks too much and doesn't let himself feel anything, the character that will annoy you with his incontrollable desire to make everything perfect. And there is Dade - the lover - a man who wants to have control, who probably had tons of other lovers, but Kasie seems to be more than that (obviously!)The chemistry between Kasie and Dade is not what I would have liked it to be. Kasie reminded me of a Romanian saying that would be translated like "Leave me alone, but don't give me peace!" The passionate scenes between them were ok, but not as good as I had expected. I have read much hotter ones, and in a series that was mainly a thriller (Countermeasure by C. Almeida and C. Aubrey)!However, I am grateful for the ARC I got from NetGalley and, if I have the chance, I will read the other two sequels, to see if there are improvements.__________RomânăNu sunt deloc o fană a înşelatului. Cred că oamenii care recurg la asta nu îi mint doar pe cei din jur, dar şi pe ei înşişi. Cu toate astea, nu vreau să ţin cuiva o predică prin această recenzie, aşa că mă voi limita la calităţile şi defectele acestei cărţi.Kasie e pe cale să se mărite, deşi, după cum spune chiar ea, logodnicul ei e un om bun, dar nu îl iubeşte atât de mult cum ar vrea. Cei doi sunt descrişi de către familie şi prieteni ca un „cuplu perfect”, iar Kasie însăşi vrea să dea această impresie, deşi în adâncul sufletului, ştie că nu e atât de pură cum crede toată lumea.Când îl întâlneşte pe Robert Dade, ştie de la început că între ei există o chimie şi pasiunea dintre ei nu se compară cu nimic din ce a experimentat până atunci. În acelaşi timp, începe să se descopere aşa cum e de fapt, partea din ea pe care a ascuns-o de toată lumea. Însă este prinsă între a-şi păstra imaginea de „femeie pură” şi a fi liberă. Robert e singurul care ştie cum este ea de fapt, dar ea îl iubeşte şi pe Dave, logodnincul ei , cu care se simte în siguranţă. Va trebui să aleagă între aceşti doi bărbaţi şi lupta pe care o duce în interior e cruntă.Kasie ştie că viitorul e o necunoscută, că Dave nu vrea să vadă lucrurile aşa cum sunt ele, ci doar aşa cum vrea el să fie. Cu Dade, totul e mai simplu: nu trebuie să ascundă cine e cu adevărat, nu trebuia să dea impresia unei femei perfecte. Dar poate să arunce la gunoi şase ani de relaţie pentru un bărbat cu care ştie că s-ar putea să nu aibă un viitor? Poate să-şi dezamăgească familia aşa cum a făcut-o sora ei mai mare acum multă vreme? Bătălia dintre cele două personalităţi ale lui Kasie e punctul forte al cărţii.Celelalte personaje nu sunt memorabile. Îl avem pe Dave, logodnicul, bărbatul plictisitor care nu ar şti ce e pasiunea nici dacă ar avea un dicţionar, genul de tip care gândeşte prea mult şi nu se lasă în voia sentimentelor, personajul care vă va enerva cu dorinţa lui incontrolabilă de a face totul perfect. Şi apoi îl avem pe Dade, amantul, un bărbat care vrea să deţină controlul, care probabil că a avut tone de alte amante, dar Kasie pare să fie pentru el mai mult decât atât (evident!)Chimia dintre Kasie şi Dade nu e aşa cum mi-ar fi plăcut să fie. Kasie mi-a amintit de vorba aia românească „Lasă-mă, dar nu-mi da pace!” Scenele pasionale dintre cei doi au fost ok, dar nu aşa de bune cum m-am aşteptat. Am citit altele mult mai fierbinţi, şi într-o serie care e în principal thriller (Countermeasure de C. Almeida şi C. Aubrey)!Cu toate acestea, sunt recunoscătoare pentru ARC-ul pe care l-am primit de pe NetGalley şi, dacă am ocazia, voi citi şi următoarele două părţi, să văd dacă sunt îmbunătăţiri.
Blood Trail: Dawning - Matt Cochran Originally published on my blog.Bilingual Review: ENG/RO EnglishMy fascination with Native Americans began one month ago, when I read "Shadow of Time" by Jen Minkman. I have promised myself I would read more books about them, and when I saw this graphic novel available on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity.I regret admitting that I didn't particularly enjoy this one. It was a pleasant read, but nothing very special, at least not for me. I had high expectations and the book failed to deliver. The story couldn't captivate me until the second half of it. Due to the book's short length, of just 64 pages, everything felt rushed and, therefore, I couldn't enjoy it fully.We, humans, fear the things we are not capable to understand, we push aside those people who are different than us and we don't let them join our groups. Ideas like these are conveyed in this graphic novel, in the form of a village of Native Americans that reject a specific family due to its abnormal powers.The graphics, although good, were not to my taste. I expected them to be somewhat similar to what is featured on the cover and I was dissapointed to find they were very different.For a quick read, "Blood Trail: Dawning" was quite ok, but not memorable. I only recommend it to those who like graphic novels and are fascinated by the Native Americans, but don't have much time on their hands._______________RomânăFascinaţia mea faţă de americanii nativi a început în urmă cu o lună, când am citit "Shadow of Time" de Jen Minkman. Mi-am promis că voi citi mai multe cărţi despre ei, şi când am văzut această carte ilustrată pe NetGalley, am profitat de oportunitate.Cu regret recunosc că nu mi-a plăcut în mod special. A fost o lectură agreabilă, dar nimic special, cel puţin nu pentru mine. Am avut mari aşteptări, dar această carte nu s-a ridicat la ele. Povestea nu a reuşit să mă captiveze decât pe la a doua jumătate. Datorită lungimii de doar 64 de pagini, totul a părut fuşerit şi nu m-am putut bucura de poveste cum ar fi trebuit.Noi, oamenii, ne temem de lucruri pe care nu le putem înţelege şi dăm la o parte oamenii care sunt diferiţi faţă de noi şi nu îi lăsăm să intre în grupurile noastre. Astfel de idei se regăsesc în acest roman grafic, sub forma unui sat de americani nativi care resping o familie datorită puterilor sale anormale.Ilustraţiile, deşi bune, nu mi-au plăcut. M-am aşteptat să fie oarecum similare cu cele de pe copertă şi am fost dezamăgită să constat că erau foarte diferite.Pentru o lectură uşoară, "Blood Trail: Dawning" a fost ok, dar nu memorabilă. O recomand doar celor cărora le plac romanele grafice şi sunt fascinaţi de americanii nativi, dar care nu au prea mult timp liber la dispoziţie.
Shadow of Time - Jen Minkman Originally posted on my blog.Bilingual Review: ENG/ROEnglishEver since the very first pages, I felt incredibly hooked by the story. I usually know right from the beggining if I like a book or not, and it seems that I was right this time too.Hannah is a lovable character right from the start, with her shyness, sense of humour and insecureness. She is very dedicated in everything she does, and will not back out when it comes to the people she loves, even if she is in mortal danger. Throughout the book, I could relate to most of what she was experiencing, but I felt a little bit annoyed when she was crying like a baby because of Josh. However, I also think that this would have been the case for any of us women if we had had to go through a situation like hers. I could tell from very early on that there was something more to Josh than met the eye. And it's such a pity I can't tell you how amazing it was when I discovered exactly what. I would spoil the book for you if I did. His connection to Hannah is very clear, not only to them, but also to the people around them. It literally made me mumble "you idiot!" anytime Josh was afraid of getting involved into a serious relationship with her. I loved him at the beggining, hated him and ended up loving him a lot more when I found out about his motives.My favourite parts were definitely the ones where the Dinè's way of life was detailed. From the way they think and eat, to the way they act and talk. Jen documented herself very well and it is amazing to what extent she managed to describe everything, especially when you find out that she has never been to America, let alone Navajo Nation! When I got to the half of the book, I felt that everything was happening too slowly, but then there were two chapters about what happened in the past, and everything began to make so much sense, it was actually incredible how everything was connected, how every single detail had a purpose and a meaning behind it.Honestly, I would have loved to find out more about the past. It was so intriguing to learn about the Navajo history and language, their traditions and the struggles they had been through to survive. At each of these two chapters' ending, I was so touched I felt like crying. Jen managed to make me very interested in the Dinè, and I will definitely read more books about them, especially nonfiction ones, as I want to learn more."Shadow of Time" is marked as YA Paranormal, but it is so much more than that! It is one of those books that once finished, you feel you are a better, more mature person. I recommend it to everyone, but I think it will appeal more to girls and women.____________________RomânăÎncă de la primele pagini, m-am simţit incredibil de captivată de poveste. Deobicei ştiu de la început dacă îmi va plăcea o carte sau nu, şi se pare că am avut dreptate şi de data asta.Hannah e un personaj plăcut chiar de la început, cu timiditatea ei, simţul umorului şi nesiguranţa de care dă dovadă. Este foarte dedicată în tot ce face şi nu va bate în retragere când vine vorba de persoanele pe care le iubeşte, chiar dacă e în pericol de moarte. De-a lungul cărţii, m-am identificat cu majoritatea situaţiilor prin care trecea, dar m-a enervat puţin când plângea ca un bebeluş din cauza lui Josh. Totuşi, mai cred şi că la fel ar fi făcut majoritatea femeilor dacă ar fi trecut prin o situaţie ca a Hannei. Mi-am dat seama de la început că Josh e mai mult decât ceea ce pare. Şi e mare păcat că nu vă pot spune cât de uimitor a fost când am descoperit exact ce. V-aş strica plăcerea de a citi cartea dacă aş face-o. Conexiunea dintre el şi Hannah e foarte evidentă, nu doar lor, ci şi celor din jurul lor. Efectiv am mormăit „idiotule!” de fiecare dată când Josh se temea să se implice într-o relaţie serioasă cu ea. Mi-a plăcut ca personaj l-a început, apoi l-am detestat şi am ajuns să-l plac şi mai mult atunci când am aflat motivele lui.Părţile mele preferate au fost acelea în care era detaliat modul de viaţă Dinè. De la felul în care gândesc şi mănâncă, până la cum vorbesc şi se comportă. Jen s-a documentat foarte bine şi e uimitor cât de detaliat a reuşit să descrie totul, mai ales că nu a fost niciodată în America, darămite în Naţiunea Navajo! Când am ajuns la jumătatea cărţii, am simţit că totul se desfăşura prea lent, dar apoi au fost două capitole despre ce s-a întâmplat în trecut şi totul a început să aibă sens, şi e incredibil cum toate erau legate unele de altele, cum fiecare detaliu avea un scop şi un înţeles în spate.Sincer, mi-ar fi plăcut să aflu mai multe despre trecut. A fost atât de interesant să aflu despre istoria Navajo şi limba lor, tradiţiile şi greutăţile prin care au trecut pentru a supravieţui. La finalul fiecărui din aceste două capitole, am fost atât de emoţionată încât mi-a venit să plâng. Jen a reuşit să mă facă foarte interesată de Dinè, şi cu siguranţă voi citi mai multe cărţi despre ei, mai ales nonfictive, pentru că vreau să învăţ mai multe.„Shadow of Time” e categorisit ca roman paranormal pentru tineri, dar e mult mai mult decât atât! E una dintre acele cărţi care, după ce le termini, te simţi o persoană mai bună, mai matură. O recomand oricui, dar cred că le va plăcea mai mult fetelor şi femeilor.
Tangi's Teardrops: A Single Tear Will Change Everything... - Liz Grace Davis Originally published on my blog.I requested an ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest reviewBilingual Review: ENG / RO English"Tangi's Teadrops", as you may have figured it out if you have read the book description, is an African version of Cinderella. While initially aimed at a younger audience, it is a pleasant read for anyone as long as it is viewed as a sweet modern fairytale.The story itself is fantastic, but I had a few problems with the character's emotions and the way they were conveyed. It seemed to me that whenever Tangi was going through a very rough time or, on the contrary, very happy moments, she wasn't actually feeling anything. For instance, when her one and only friend is leaving the town, Tangi resigns herself too quickly. This is due to the fact that the author didn't put much emphasis on describing the characters' emotions, but prefered to focus on the dialogues. And it really is a pity, since Tangi is such a lovable character, with her courage and her willingness to save Rosevine at any cost. Tangi is the kind of girl that would do anything to be accepted and appreciated, even if that hurts her. Her strength is so inspirational throughout the book  that it will make your eyes watery."She would prove to everyone she could do everything. She wouldn't let her disability be an excuse, wouldn't give anyone reason to pity her."In the fist half of the book, the action takes place in our world, and it has been refreshing and intriguing to find out about how life is like for African children and their families, about their habits, homes and schools, while in the second half, Tangi finds herself in Rosevine."The reason you're being treated so badly is because you don't belong in Mimbeye. As long as you're there, you'll experience pain. If you want to escape it, you should come where you belong."Now Rosevine is the world where Tangi's mother came from, which explains why she never felt she belonged.And while I loved the way this world is described, there were a few clichés that bothered me. Ideas like "follow the rainbow to get there" or giant birds used as a means of transport would have probably amazed me when I was nine, but not now. They reminded me of those fairytale-based Barbie movies that I used to watch when I was little. Rosevine is a world that was constructed in a way that was oh-so-convenient for the story development."There are around ten thousand rose species in Rosevine. About half of them can be eaten."It is explained that they should only be consumed during celebrations hosted by the king and queen, where all Roseviens will share them, but if eaten at private occasions, they can cause illness. Oh, Tangi, but of course you and the prince can consume them privately several times, because you are from the royal family and the illness won't touch you! This is exactly the kind of things that I hate to find in a book.Luckilly, there are many other things I enjoyed in "Tangi's Teardrops". One of them is the magic system. If you wish for something and imagine it in your head, it can happen. You would think that any people would take advantage of that and not lift a finger anymore. But this is not the case. As the prince says:"It won't be the same. Just because we have the choice of having anything we want without having to lift a finger, we don't have to take the shortcut. As you've seen, we enjoy doing most of the things by ourselves. Food cooked or a house built by hand is more precious."Again, very inspiring, and I must tell you I have highlighted many phrases like this one, a thing which doesn't happen often. So here are a few quotes I particularly loved:"I need a friend and you seemed nicest. I think you and I can have more fun than those fake people on the other side.""I'm here to help you. You deserve more than this world will ever offer you.""She would also be creating her own bridal bouquet. She wanted to feel the fragility and softness of each petal. And to make the single flowers stronger than they'd been separately. Just as she was stronger now, together with people who loved and accepted her.""Tangi's Teardrops" is a story about a journey each of us has to take at some point: the journey to find our place in the world. I recommend it to children and anyone who loves an inspirational story in the form of a fairytale._________________________________________Română"Tangi's Teadrops", aşa cum poate v-aţi dat seama din descrierea cărţii, este o versiune africană a Cenuşăresei. Deşi destinată unui public mai tânăr, e o lectură plăcută pentru oricine, atâta timp cât e privită ca un basm modern şi simpatic.Povestea în sine a fantastică, dar am avut ceva probleme cu sentimentele personajelor şi modul în care erau prezentate. Mi s-a părut că de fiecare dată când Tangi trecea printr-o perioadă grea sau, din contră, prin momente foarte fericite, nu simţea de fapt nimic. De exemplu, când singura ei prietenă părăseşte oraşul, Tangi se resemnează prea repede. Asta se datorează faptului că autoarea nu pune mult accent pe descrierea sentimentelor personajelor, ci preferă să se concentreze asupra dialogurilor. Şi chiar e păcat, pentru că Tangi e un personaj uşor de îndrăgit, cu curajul ei şi voinţa de a salva Rosevine cu orice preţ. Puterea ei este atât de motivantă de-a lungul cărţii, încât vi se vor umezi ochii."Le va dovedi tuturor că poate face orice. Nu va lăsa invaliditatea ei să-i servească drept scuză, nu va da nimănui motiv să-i fie milă de ea.În prima jumătate a cărţii, acţiunea are lor în lumea noastră, şi a fost înviorător şi interesant să aflu cum e viaţa pentru copiii africani şi familiile lor, să aflu despre obiceiurile, casele şi şcolile lor, în timp ce în a doua jumătate, Tangi ajunge în Rosevine."Motivul pentru care eşti tratată atât de rău este pentru că locul tău nu e în Mimbeye. Atâta timp cât eşti acolo, vei avea parte de suferinţă. Dacă vrei să scapi de ea, ar trebui să vii în locul de care aparţii."Rosevine e lumea din care a venit mama lui Tangi, astfel explicându-se de ce ea nu s-a simţit niciodată la locul ei. Şi deşi mi-a plăcut felul în care această lume e descrisă, au fost câteva clişee care m-au deranjat. Idei precum "urmează curcubeul ca să ajungi acolo" sau păsările uriaşe folosite ca mijloc de transport probabil m-ar fi uimit când aveam nouă ani, dar nu şi acum. Mi-au amintit de filmele cu Barbie bazate pe poveşti la care mă uitam când eram mică. Rosevine e o lume construită în aşa fel încât totul să fie convenabil pentru dezvoltarea poveştii."Sunt în jur de zece mii de specii de trandafir în Rosevine. Cam jumătate din ele pot fi mâncate."Ni se explică faptul că trebuie să fie consumate doar în timpul serbărilor ţinute de rege şi regină, unde toţi rosevienii se vor bucura de ele, dar dacă sunt mâncate în particular, pot provoca boli. O, Tangi, dar desigur că tu şi prinţul le puteţi consuma doar voi de câteva ori, doar sunteţi din familia regală şi nu se prind bolile de voi! Acestea sunt exact genul de lucruri pe care mă enervează să le întâmpin în cărţi.Din fericire, sunt multe alte lucruri care mi-au plăcut la "Tangi's Teadrops". Unul din ele e sistemul de magie. Dacă îţi doreşti ceva şi ti-l imaginezi, se poate adeveri. Ai crede că oamenii ar profita de asta şi nu ar mai munci deloc. Dar nu e cazul aici. Aşa cum spune prinţul:"Nu va fi la fel. Doar fiindcă putem alege să avem tot ce vrem fără să ridicăm un deget, nu trebuie să alegem calea uşoară. Aşa cum ai văzut, ne place să gătim. Mâncarea şi casele făcute prin munca noastră sunt mai preţioase."Din nou, foarte motivant, şi trebuie să vă spun că am subliniat multe fraze ca aceasta, lucru ce nu-l fac prea des. Iată câteva citate care mi-au plăcut în mod special:"Am nevoie de o prietenă şi tu pari cea mai drăguţă. Cred că noi două ne putem distra mai bine decât oamenii aceia falşi de acolo.""Am venit să te ajut. Meriţi mai mult decât îţi poate oferi vreodată lumea aceasta.""Îşi va crea propriul buchet de mireasă. Voia să simtă fragilitatea şi moliciunea fiecărei petale. Şi să facă florile să fie mai puternice decât ar fi fost luate separat. Aşa cum era ea mai puternică acum, împreună cu oamenii care o iubeau şi o acceptau.""Tangi's Teadrops" e o poveste despre călătoria pe care fiecare dintre noi trebuie să o facă la un moment dat: călătoria prin care ne căutăm locul în lume. O recomand copiilor şi celor care îndrăgesc poveştile motivaţionale în formă de basm.
Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes - Nina Berry,  Sarwat Chadda,  Georgia McBride,  Suzanne Lazear,  Karen Mahoney,  Lisa Mantchev,  C. Lee McKenzie,  K.M. Walton,  Suzanne Young,  Michelle Zink,  Sayantani DasGupta,  Shannon Delany,  Max Scialdone,  Leigh Fallon,  Heidi R. Kling,  Angie Frazier,  Jessie Ha This review is also featured on my blog. I received an ebook ARC of this book through NetGalley.Bilingual review: ENG/RO EnglishI am one of those people who sometimes get interested in a book by seeing its cover. This was the case with "Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes", and I can't say I regret my decision. It was a pleasant, interesting read most of the times. This anthology having been written by twenty different authors, it's clear from the start that you can't possibly like all of the stories included. With so many different, unique styles, it's near to impossible for each and every one of them to appeal to you. I found myself literally loving half of these dark retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes, liking some of them, the rest boring me to death. You must probably be wondering how could such silly and cute rhymes turn into dark stories. Well, they can and I must admit that some of them really creeped me out. They all revolve around themes like death, dark witches, and pitiful, miserable beings. This book is grotesque, eerie and macabre, and at the same time intriguing and misterious, giving you goosebumps.Personally, I didn't know the majority of these Mother Goose rhymes, but the good thing is that the rhymes are included at the beggining of each story. If I, who didn't know them, liked them so much, I can imagine how those who are more familiar with them will love them.The version I read being an ARC, three of the stories were missing from the ebook, which is a pity as from what I heard about them, they were really good. I wish from the bottom of my heart I could give this 4 vanilla flowers. However, I can't possibly paper over the stories that bored me out of my mind. I recommend this book to young adults and adults who may find enjoyment in horror fairytales. A little warning though: you won't see those innocent Mother Goose Rhymes with the same eyes after you read this.____________________________RomânăEu fac parte din categoria de omeni care uneori sunt atraşi de o carte datorită copertei. Acesta a fost cazul şi cu "Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes", şi nu pot să spun că regret decizia pe care am luat-o. A fost, în marea majoritate a timpului, o lectură interesantă şi plăcută.Această antologie fiind scrisă de 20 de autori diferiţi, e clar de la început că nu au cum să-ţi placă toate poveştile incluse. Cu atât de multe stiluri unice, e aproape imposibil să fie fiecare din ele pe gustul tău.Mi-au plăcut la nebunie cam jumătate din aceste repovestiri întunecate ale poeziilor pentru copii, o parte din ele doar mi-au plăcut, restul plictisindu-mă de moarte. Probabil vă întrebaţi cum se pot transforma nişte rime prostuţe şi drăguţe în poveşti de groază. Ei bine, pot, şi trebuie să recunosc că unele din ele m-au îngrozit de-a dreptul. Toate poveştile se învârt în jurul unor teme ca moartea, vrăjitoare rele şi fiinţe deplorabile, nenorocite. Această carte este grotescă, sinistră şi macabră, şi în acelaşi timp fascinantă şi misterioasă, făcându-ţi pielea de găină.Eu, una, nu ştiam majoritatea acestor poezioare, dar partea bună e că sunt incluse la începutul fiecărei poveşti. Dacă mie, care nu ştiam poeziile originale, mi-a plăcut atât de mult cartea, îmi imaginez cum li se va părea celor care sunt familiari cu ele.Versiunea pe care am citit-o fiind un ARC, trei dintre poveşti lipseau din ebook, ceea ce e mare păcat, pentru că am auzit numai păreri bune legate de ele. Îmi doresc din toată inima să-i pot da cărţii patru flori de vanilie, dar nu pot să trec cu vederea poveştile care m-au plictisit de moarte.Recomand această carte tinerilor, dar şi adulţilor cărora le-ar plăcea nişte poveşti de groază asemănătoare basmelor. Un mic avertisment doar: nu veţi mai vedea cu aceiaşi ochi poeziile inocente pentru copii după ce citiţi această carte.
Hattie Wilkinson Meets Her Match - Michelle Styles Originally posted on my blog.Bilingual review: ENG/RO EnglishI received a signed copy of this book from the author through a giveaway called “Fall in Love Again”. Thank you, Michelle!When I started reading it, I honestly didn’t expect much. However, to my surprise, I had a really pleasant experience with it and I discovered that I actually love Historical Romance very much. Setting a love story in an age where women had to constantly “guard” their reputation, where they weren’t considered men’s equals and their biggest worries in the world were getting married and then marry their daughters, makes everything much more intriguing.Hattie is constantly struggling to maintain her image of a “respectable widow” even if that costs her happiness. The battle between her love for Christopher and her fear of not being loved back is a tough one. And Kit himself has his own fears because of his mother who left him when he was only a child. It’s the classic I-want-to-be-with-you-so-badly-but-I-am-afraid-of-getting-hurt situation, with a clever dialogue, the usual annoying matchmakers and the oh-so-selfish Hattie’s sister, who only cares about… (guess what?) marrying her daughter.The flirtations and love-dovey scenes between Hattie and Kit are absolutely delicious. I savoured each and every one of them and not once did I want to scream at them: “For the love of God, he/she loves you too, so stop being stupid and set yourself free from all these fears!” But this is what makes romance stories set in the 19th century so enjoyable – the close to infinite impediments standing in the way of love. I recommend it to all hopeless romantics out there!______________________________RomânăAm primti o copie cu autograf a acestei cărţi de la autoare prin intermediul unui giveaway numit “Fall in Love Again”. Mulţumesc, Michelle!Când am început să o citesc, sincer, nu am avut mari aşteptări. Dar, spre surprinderea mea, a fost o experienţă foarte plăcută şi am descoperit că-mi place foarte mult genul Historical Romance. Plasarea unei poveşti de dragoste într-o epocă în care femeile trebuiau să-şi apere reputaţia în mod constant, în care nu erau considerate egalele bărbaţilor şi în care cea mai mare grijă a lor era să se mărite şi apoi să-şi mărite şi fetele, face totul mult mai interesant.Hattie face un efort constant în a-şi menţine imaginea de văduvă respectabilă, deşi asta o costă fericirea. Lupta dintre dragostea ei pentru Christopher şi teama de a nu fi iubită la rândul ei este una cruntă. Însuşi Kit are temerile lui din cauză că mama sa l-a părăsit pe când era doar un copil. E clasica situaţie îmi-doresc-la-nebunie-să-fiu-cu-tine-dar-mi-e-teamă-să-nu-fiu-rănită, cu un dialog inteligent, obişnuitele şi enervantele persoane care încearcă să îi cupleze şi atât-de-egoista soră a lui Hattie, pe care o interesează doar… (ghici ce?) să-şi mărite fiica.Flirturile şi scenele de dragoste dintre Hattie şi Kit sunt absolut delicioase. Le-am savurat pe toate şi nu doar o dată mi-a venit să ţip la ei: “Pentru numele lui Dumnezeu, şi el/ea te iubeşte, aşa că nu te mai purta prosteşte şi eliberează-te de temeri!”. Dar asta face cărţile romantice a căror acţiune are loc în secolul XIX atât e frumoase – aproape infinitele obstacole ce stau în calea dragostei. Recomand această carte tuturor romanticilor incurabili!
The Three Lost Kids & The Christmas Curse - Kimberly Kinrade Bilingual review: ENG/ROEnglishI received "The Three Lost Kids & The Christmas Curse" from the author, through a giveaway organised by Evolved Publishing. Thank you for giving me the chance to read it!This book is the 5th in a series aimed at lower grade children, so I am not be able to rate it, but I will share my experience of reading it for anyone who might be interested.The plot is very simple, easy to understand: it's Christmas and the three sisters are opening their presents. One of them receives a Wishing Stone, and while not believing in its magic, she wishes everyday was Christmas and everybody got whatever they wanted. What seems wonderful at first soon becomes a nightmare for the whole town and the sisters have to find a way to reverse the wish.Now we've met with this day-repeting-over-and-over theme in other works of fiction too, like the Groundhog Day movie, but not in the form of a life lesson for little children. And I must say that even I enjoyed it and smiled once or twice at the sisters' attempts to break the wish that turned into a curse.This book teaches children the joy of helping others, to be careful what they wish for and be grateful for what they have. I certainly recommend it!______________________RomânăAm primit "The Three Lost Kids & The Christmas Curse" de la autoare, prin intermediul unui concurs organizat de editura Evolved Publishing. Mulţumesc pentru şansa de a citi această carte!Este al cincelea volum dintr-o serie pentru copii de 7-9 ani, aşa că nu pot să-i dau o notă, dar voi împărtăşi experienţa pe care am avut-o citindu-l, pentru oricine ar fi interesat.Intriga e foarte simplă, uşor de înşeles: e Crăciun şi cele trei surori deschid cadourile. Una din fete primeşte o piatră care împlineşte dorinţe şi, deşi nu crede în magia ei, îşi doreşte ca în fiecare zi să fie Crăciun şi ca toată lumea să primească tot ce vrea. Ceea ce pare la început minunat, devine curând un coşmar pentru întregul oraş, iar surorile trebuie să găsească o cale de a anula dorinţa.Am mai întâlnit tema zilei-care-se-repetă-iar-şi-iar şi în alte lucrări fictive, cum ar fi filmul Ziua Cârtiţei, dar nu sub forma unei lecţii de viaţă pentru copilaşi. Şi trebuie să recunosc că mi-a plăcut şi mie şi am zâmbit de câteva ori la încercările surorilor de a desface dorinţa devenită blestem.Cartea aceasta îi învaţă pe copii bucuria de a-i ajuta pe ceilalţi, să aibă grijă ce-şi doresc şi să fie recunoscători pentru ceea ce au. O recomand din toată inima!
Curse of the Diamond Daggers - Jane Prowse Bilingual review: ENG/ROEnglishI am usually reluctant to pick up new book series as it's very hard to keep up with the many ones I already started. However, the premise sounded very interesting, the first novel was free in the form of ebook on the official site and I had won the second novel on Goodreads. Little did I know how awesome my adventure with Hattori Hachi would be!Now that I have finally finished the last novel of the series, I must admit I am little bit sad, but hopefully, there will be a sequel. (Oh, please, let there be a sequel!) The main character is close to being a perfect person (loyal, brave, smart, a skilled ninja and so on) and this would usually annoy me, but with Hachi it's different: you can't not like her.Actually, the Hattori family existed in reality, which can only make the story even more interesting. Most of them were ninjas during the Edo period (yes, I used Wiki to research a little). It makes you wonder how much of the book is based on real history. The plot twists and turns and you never know whom to trust, what to expect and you definitely can't put the book down once you start it. You can tell that Jane Prowse works in the film industry. Every single thing that happens in the book is so vividly described that you can clearly see everything inside your head while you’re reading. I was thrilled to visit Japan and see through Hattie’s eyes all the things that I hope I will someday be able to through.Oh, and the ninja lessons and their way of thinking! So inspirational and thought-provoking! A great majority of what Yazuki is teaching Hachi can actually be applied in real life. :)“Let your spirit soar with the clouds which know no fear…”“My heart sank. How was I supposed to not think of these things now that Yazuki had set them whizzing round my brain?‘That’s like saying, “Don’t think of a pink elephant”,’ I told her. ‘Try it!’ I looked round the circle, knowing they all now had a pink elephant in their mind’s eye.(…)’I’m frightened that if the pink elephant goes, then I’ll be overwhelmed by all the thoughts and fears of what’s ahead.’”The series as a whole is very well thought and every single detail that might have seemed insignificant at some point is actually an important piece of the puzzle that you can only solve once you have read all the books. ________________RomânăDe obicei ezit să încep serii noi de cărţi, pentru că îmi e foarte greu să ţin pasul cu cele pe care deja le-am început. Totuşi, premiza suna foarte interesant, prima carte era gratuită ca ebook pe site-ul oficial şi am câştigat al doilea volum pe Goodreads. Habar n-aveam cât de minunată urma să fie aventura mea cu Hattori Hachi!Acum că am terminat în sfârşit ultimul volum al seriei, trebuie să recunosc că sunt puţin tristă, dar sper că va fi şi o continuare. (Oh, te rog să existe cândva o continuare!)Personajul principal e aproape de perfecţiune (loială, curajoasă, isteaţă, un ninja priceput şi aşa mai departe) şi asta m-ar enerva în mod normal, dar Hachi e diferită: nu poţi să n-o placi.De fapt, familia Hattori a existat în realitate, ceea ce face povestea să fie şi mai interesantă. Majoritatea membrilor erau ninja în perioada Edo (da, am căutat pe Wiki). Te face să te întrebi ce procent din carte e bazat pe istorie adevărată.Intriga e plină de întorsături de situaţii şi nu şti niciodată în cine să ai încredere, la ce să te aştepţi şi cu siguranţă nu poţi lăsa cartea din mâna odată ce o începi. Se vede că Jane Prowse lucrează în industria filmelor. Fiecare lucru care se întâmplă în cărţi e atât de viu descris, încât poţi vedea totul cu claritate în minte în timp ce citeşti.Am fost încântată să vizitez Japonia şi să văd prin ochii lui Hattie toate lucrurile pe care sper că le voi vedea cu adevărat cândva.Oh, şi lecţiile ninja şi modul lor de a gândi! Atât de motivaţional şi stimulativ pentru gândire! O mare parte din ceea ce Yazuki o învaţă pe Hachi poate fi aplicat în viaţa reală. :)„Lasă-ţi spiritul să se avânte spre culmile norilor care nu cunosc teama.”„Mi s-a strâns inima. Cum aş fi putut să nu mă gândesc la toate acele lucruri acum că Yazuki le-a făcut să-mi intre val-vârtej în minte?‘Asta e ca şi cum ai spune “Nu te gândi la un elefant roz!”, ‘i-am spus. ‘Încearcă! ‘ M-am uitat în jurul meu, ştiind că acum toţi vedeau cu ochiul minţii un elefant roz.(…)’Mă tem că dacă elefantul cel roz pleacă, atunci voi fi copleşită de toate gândurile şi temerile legate de viitor. ’”Seria ca întreg e foarte bine gândită şi fiecare detaliu care poate a părut insignifiant la un moment dat e de fapt o piesă importantă a puzzle-ului pe care-l poţi rezolva numai după ce ai citit toate cărţile.