The Books We Read

  Recommend: Yes Book 1. This is my second series by Leigh. The first was Six of Crows, and I definitely liked that better.  Are things always right or wrong? Folks always good or bad? If someone were to get killed regardless, is it ok to kill the being to ensure that the dark side doesn’t benefit ? Does the end justify the means? Is it ok to wage war and conquer territories for peace? This first book of 3 introduces you to characters and plots that touch these themes. There are 3 main characters in the story. Orphans and best friends - Alina and Mal. And the Darkling with his so alluring magnetic pull. Alina is the narrator. She talks about her early life as an orphan, with Mal another orphan and her best friend. They are inseparable. Fast forward years later and they are still inseparable . Both in the army - Alina having a major crush on Mal, and handsome Mal being woefully unaware of it. Alina is his best friend. Alina and Mal serve the King. The King has his elites. Chief...

 This two part fantasy series revolves around "mission-impossible" style adventures of a group of 6 canal-rats and how they take on the rich and respected merchers of the city of Ketterdam. I loved the endearing characters, the exciting (if slightly predictable) plots and the vividly described setting.

  I truly believe that there is a book for every reader and a reader for every book. And this book wasn’t for me. The story starts with a society girl , Noemi Taboada, with no real purpose in life and is currently dabbling with anthology - topics like for a race to thrive superior mates with superior. Inferiors have no place in the world. On receiving an incoherent letter from her recently wed cousin, Noemi’s dad send her packing to High Place - one train a week, in the middle of no where, hardly any ppl around, and a lot of ravines to fall into. Mission : figure out if your cousin is unwell, help her if she needs you. Except that the father daughter do not know that that house psychedelic . Yup, it’s taken over by mushrooms. Yup, you read it right mushrooms. The owner of the house has survived for centuries with the help of these mushrooms by taking over bodies of his kins and kids, and kids of kids and kind. Introducing a superior species in the midst from time to time strengthen...

 I wasn't familiar with the tale of the Scholomance, and therefore, was missing the knowledge that would have made this book an "A-HA" one from the beginning. But not knowing the legend of the Scholomance ( "fabled school of black magic in   Transylvania , which was run by the   Devil , according to folkloric accounts"as per Wikipedia's article ) does not renege from the joy of this book. Might even add to it. As an academic who has to continuously motivate herself to write papers, and a professor who has to grade students (and continually give them extensions), I found the idea of projects that kill you if you don’t finish them by the deadline absolutely *lovely*. I'm not fond of high school angst, or reading about that angst, but if you are going to pick up a YA book, that's the least you should grid yourself for. But it's Novik, so even the angst is well written. Very well written. Few of her books hook me completely (I read all of her 11 book...

E ver wondered when reading a book, who your fav character was, who would you want to best friends with, go out on a date with, what would you say if you ran into the character you despised the most... essentially what would your interaction be like with your book characters? If you could walk into any scene of any book, which book would that be? Which scene would that be? And what if you could alter the story, would you? And then what would happen to people who are connected through those books? Will their relationships change? Pages and Co. takes you through this journey with book wanderer Tilly, and her friend Oskar, another book wanderer. In the first book, Tilly realizes that she is a book wanderer. She can speak to Anne of Green Gable, Alice from Alice in Wonderland etc. She can walk into stories. And she can ring things back from stories! And that her grandparents and mom are also book wanderes! The story starts with Tilly thinking her mom was dead but later realizes she is ...