January 2017 Wrap-Up

Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff 5.00/5.00 stars

As I mentioned before, Illuminae was a little hard to get into because its format, although really cool, was somewhat confusing and seemed rather impersonal at first. I did get into it eventually, and, as it turned out, it was actually incredibly emotional and heart-wrenching and thrilling. And I must say that Gemina was even better! It was so easy to get into the story since it picks up literally where it was left off in Illuminae (only at a different place and with different characters). Plus, Gemina is even cooler format-wise: our main character, Hanna, is very artistically-inclined, so we get to see drawings of her and the people around her, which is incredibly awesome. The plot is fast-paced and exciting and devastating and absolutely magnificent! All in all, as you can tell, I enjoyed this book a lot, and I cannot wait for the next one!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling 5.00/5.00 stars

This new Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone reading experience was absolutely wonderful; the illustrations are gorgeous, and being re-introduced to all my favorite characters and seeing once again where it all began was nostalgic and beautiful and fantastic!

The Fate of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling #3) by Erika Johansen 4.75/5.00 stars

The Queen of the Tearling trilogy is one of my favorite series – I have loved it since page one, and The Fate of the Tearling was the most brilliant book of the three. I cannot rate it 5 stars, because I, like many others, was disappointed by the final chapter. Although it is absolutely logical and understandable and natural, and I might have done the same if it was my story, I did not like the ending at all – it felt anticlimactic, unfair to many favorite characters, and completely and utterly depressing.

Aside from the very end, I enjoyed every page, every passage, every word. Erika Johansen’s writing differs greatly from other authors – hers are the only books I have had to look words up in in a very, very long time. She does not incorporate overused literary devices in her storytelling; her figures of speech are refreshingly creative.

Although the utopia dreamt by one man but not executed quite thoroughly enough was a very interesting plot point, I found the discussion regarding politics, religion, corruption and violence, as well as their synergy, the most fascinating in this story. All in all, this is a very beautifully written, imaginative and original story, full of strong, intelligent, flawed characters, exhilarating action sequences, a little bit of horror, some uncomfortable events, and a disappointing ending where you did not quite get the closure you expected to get. So, a very realistic story, basically.

Saga, Vol. 6 (Saga, Volume Six) by Brian K. Vaughan (Writer), Fiona Staples (Artist) 4.00/5.00 stars

Now that the hype has died down a little bit, I find it easier to distance myself from it and to actually figure out how I feel about this series. I have not been enjoying the last 2-3 installments as much as the first ones, but I did really enjoy vol. 6. I am amazed at how wonderful the art is and how fast-paced and adventurous the story is. My favorite part of this, tho, is obviously THAT BIG PLOT TWIST at the end! I am so excited for the next one now!

Wayfarer (Passenger #2) by Alexandra Bracken 3.00/5.00 stars

I was absolutely amazed at how much I loved Passenger last year – a story of time-travel, adventures, pirates… I expected to love Wayfarer just as much, but I barely got trough it. I liked it fine, but the story did not excite me anymore, and I did not care about the characters, as I could not quite connect with them. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the author’s storytelling or the plot. It just goes to show that my reading preferences have changed since last year. I am absolutely sure that anyone who loved Passenger will love Wayfarer just as much, because, objectively, the second book offers even more travel, diversity and character growth. It is a good conclusion to this duology!