Review: Dreaming of Antigone - Robin Bridges

Uncharacteristically for me I've read a lot of Contemporary YA lately. In between I also read Dreaming of Antigone. I didn't like it as much as some of the others, but it was still a great book. I liked the way the main characters fell in love with each other and although it was a little bit unrealistic and instalovey it kind of makes sense that they would turn to each other for comfort after what happened before the book. I think there was happening a little bit too much at the same time for such a short book. Which means it was very fast-paced, but some topics felt a little bit rushed and I thought they could have been exploit a little bit more. I liked the characters very much. I love it when main characters are passionate about something. It gives them personality and makes them become alive. Also I often learn something new about hobbies the main characters practice. Still I couldn't quite connect with the main characters. But in the end I really liked the story and especially that it deals with so many serious topics. And even though I kind of guessed the plot twist it was still surprising and very interesting. I just think because of all the serious topics and sad events the characters were just coping a little bit to well and that was the only thing that made me really feel a little bit disconnected and not emotional enough considering all the terrible and heartwarming events. Oh yeah and by the way I LOVE this cover.

Review: Untraceable (The Nature of Grace #1) - S.R. Johannes

I can't decide if I hated or loved this book. The first 100 pages were kind of boring but it got better after that. The last 100 pages were really exciting and thrilling. I couldn't take my eyes of the book, but I feel like it was more like a train wreck. I wanted to stop reading but I just couldn't. That doesn't mean that I didn't like it. There were so many plot twists in the end and I love it if a book is unpredictable. Also I really liked the characters - at least the ones you were supposed to like ;). I would have wished for a better clear up of their relationships in the end. It was just like the emotions described in the whole book where in the end just gone and after three days everything was back to normal.
The end was just the thing that kind of ruined this book for me. It was like the whole book was pointless in the end and I wished it would have been differently.
Also I saw on Goodreads that it was listed as Fantasy and I waited the whole book for something fantastical to happen but it didn't!
I kinda wish I haven't read this book - although it was not that bad - but because of this stupid cliff hanger in the end I feel like I have to read the next one in the series but I didn't like this one so much that I wanna invest the time to read two more books, so I don't know what to do!
If you like mystery thrillers I think you should try it, but prepare for reading the whole series!

Review: Call Me, Maybe - Ellie Cahill

I normally don't read romance novels but it was a nice change. I actually liked the characters and I liked that they had a background story that influenced them til today. It made them human and relate-able. I liked the way their relationship started. It was nice and cutesy and really original I think. Also I liked that you get to know different characters who don't actually show in the book. That made the main characters come to life because they had other relationships in their life like a family and friends.
The story for me was kind of boring. Maybe it's because I don't usually read romance books and fantasy books have a lot more going on than just the romance between the main characters. I waited through the whole book for something unexpected to happen but it was pretty predictable. I still liked the story because it was also very realistic but it just wasn't enough for me I think.
But the writing was great. It was fast-paced and in the beginning I couldn't even put it down. After about 100 pages I realized how far I've gotten and was kind of shocked. That's also why I finished this book in a day. Since it covers only approximately 3 weeks it is easy to read in one sitting and also it is kind of understandable that there wasn't going on that much. I think the main part in a contemporary romance novel is the romance so it was very well done. I think I just don't wanna read romance novels all the time but I'm really clad I did read this book and I'm happy I got approved for this book on netgalley. If you like romance novels you should definitely give this one a try.

Review: Girl of Myth and Legend (The Chosen Saga #1) - Giselle Simlett

I didn't expect to like this book so much but I really, really liked this book. Maybe it's just because I've read Daughter of Smoke and Bone recently but I think it had a similar vibe. I got this book from netgalley and thought why not, sounds interesting.
The characters in this book were great. I really liked the main character. She is strong but not this unrealistic hero you often find in YA fantasy. Also she really acted according to her age I think. Even if she is very stubborn I like her passion about some things. Also I liked the other characters. Even though you get mostly only hints about their backstory you know that they are thought through and that they have a lot of depth. I hope to discover a little bit more history and secrets about them in the next book(s?).
I also liked her relationships to the other characters, especially the one she has with her father. It was not entirely clear what kind of relationship she has to him, but it was nice to develop it together with her. I was amazed at the end when I realized there wasn't really a love story in this book. There is some kind of relationship between the main characters but it isn't just some normal, boring and cliche love story and definitely no insta-love ;)
Also the world-building was amazing. Even though the world is kind of hard to imagine it was really well described. It's a world I would love to really see because I think my imagination do it justice. It seems beautiful and otherworldly.
In the beginning the dual point of view was kind of annoying because it felt like I was ripped out of the story every time the perspective changed. But that was only the case for the first four chapters or something like that. After that it made the story much more exciting and richer. Because of the ever changing perspective the story didn't get boring one time.
I was kind of confused with the sudden action near the end but it was very thrilling. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the end. I hate it when a book ends open and kind of in the middle of the story just because it makes the reader wanna read the next book more. So after the whole excitement I was hoping for a conclusion and a peaceful end.
I also liked the chapter headings. They were kind of poetic and well interlaced in the chapters.
I mainly read this book because of it's cover and I'm glad I did. I just can recommend this book for every YA fantasy fan and I can't wait to read the next one.

Review: The Fountain - Suzy Vadori

The Fountain was a very light, easy in-between read. I liked the concept of a fish fountain. I've never read something like that before.

The first half of the book was a little bit cliche private school but it got better and more exciting really fast.

For me the whole book felt like it would have been better as a movie. It was described more like a movie. For a book there was just a lack of information I think.

The characters didn't really have a background story but they were relate-able. I would have wished to learn more about the past of the characters especially the main character. There were a few things we learnt but it was too little to really get to know her and make her feel real.

Also I think there wasn't any real explanation of her relationships with the other characters. I would have loved to hear more about her mom and dad and also other characters like her boyfriend or other friends in San Francisco. It felt like she didn't had any friends she missed back home and I really didn't know why she loved her boyfriend.

The whole thing with the wish was interesting to read about. But for me the worst part was the end. I kind of guessed the actual end and I think it was okay. What I didn't like was the way it came to this end. It was just kind of sudden. There was a lot of story building before and all the excitement for the climax was built up but then all of a sudden there was the end. If you think of the suspense curve like a mountain. Just right before you reached the peak it was kind of over. I still liked what happened in the end but it felt a little bit too easy for the main characters to come to this conclusion all of a sudden.

So all in all it was an interesting story and a very light and easy read. Also since it's a stand alone you can read it in between other series because there isn't this high commitment of starting a new series. If you look or a very fast and short read I would recommend it to you. I read it for my "A book you can finish in a day" challenge of my popsugar reading challenge 2016 and for that it was just perfect.