Reviews and Comments

How would you feel if you were a supernatural being enjoying the XX century on Earth when Heaven and Hell decide it's time to bring on the Apocalypse? Angel Aziraphale enjoys his bookshop on Earth very much and after so many centuries of companionship he even learnt to appreciate the bon vivant demon Crowley. In this way, they are both very disappointed to learn that the Antichrist was born and that in eleven years' time the Earth will be destroyed. Since they both believe they know more about humans than their counterparts (above and below), they take it to themselves to try and stop the Armageddon. But the Antichrist seems to be missing and people, being people, are not keen on letting the Earth go just yet.

I've loved this book since the first time I read it so many years ago and it's amazing that it keeps growing on me. Maybe knowing the story helps to savour each paragraph more each time. The writing style is very Pratchett but the core of the story is very Gaiman - there's no way these two together could go wrong. The book is hilarious and you'll find yourself laughing out loud or trying to read passages out loud to people that have no idea of what you're talking about - it is that good. And maybe while reading this story you'll learn something about caring for our planet and humankind. Maybe.

"And there never was an apple, in Adam's opinion, that wasn't worth the trouble you got into for eating it."

Sophie is a young girl with an old soul, and when her father dies she starts helping her stepmother with their hat shop. One day the Witch of the Waste drops by the hat shop and casts a spell on Sophie that turns her into an old woman. Tired of wasting her life, and since she hasn't much left to live anyway, Sophie decides to seek her fortune and that's when she meets the moving castle of wizard Howl. It is said that Howl eats the hearts of young girls, but the castle looks cosy and Sophie is now old, so she decides she has nothing left to lose and enters the castle.

I love Miyazaki's movie, and even though it was based on this book, in my heart they are two different stories. I love this book so much, it just gets better every time I read it. Every child should know about this trilogy and have it read aloud by their parents. It's beautiful to read the way the characters evolve and their witty interactions. The plot is intricate, and the fact that Howl and Sophie are living the same story but would tell it completely different in their heads is amazing. This book is a must read to anyone who believes in magic, adults included.

There's no point in summarising this book because it's the third of a trilogy. The first chapter grabs you totally, it's fast paced and interesting developments happen in order to advance the story. When Lorelei finally foresees the end of the world, I got excited by the promise of real action and a big war about to begin, but the story's progress unexpectedly stalls. Things are happening but they're not very interesting and they caused me to detach from the characters, which I loved from the previous books. I was also hoping for an epic ending, not exactly a sudden and lacking one. I liked that the needed happy ending was there, particularly the one chosen for Lorelei and Jared, but it fell short of what I imagined, I must say. After two books, I thought the third one would be filled with action and supernatural events, not filled with Lorelei trying to understand what she was supposed to do. I understand a 16 year old doubting herself, it makes perfect sense even without so much pressure, but so much self-doubt was tiring to read.

Death wants to understand humankind or at least he wants to try to understand humankind. To this end, he decides to have an apprentice and Mortimer, who goes by Mort, is the "lucky" one who accepts the offer. But maybe Death's affairs are too much for a human. After all, humans are taught to believe in justice and that pretty women shouldn't die young...

I loved [b:Equal Rites|34507|Equal Rites (Discworld, #3)|Terry Pratchett|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348422848s/34507.jpg|583611] and I wasn't expecting to like this one as much, specially because the main characters have nothing to do with witches. But this book is hilarious and Death has the best lines such as "I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, he said, BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY." Glutton wizard Cutwell is also a great addition and even though the end is again something that happens out of nowhere, I was too amused to be bothered by the sudden change of pace. I enjoyed this story immensely and I hope to see Death in other Discworld books. Maybe not on duty, though.

The story starts with a trial where Sirius, the bright star from the constellation of Canis Major, is found guilty of murdering another star with the help of a Zoi. Sirius' sentence is quickly carried out as he is sent to Earth to find the missing Zoi during its life as a dog or die trying. Sirius soon finds out that humans can be both cruel and caring, not only to other animals but also towards other humans.

Every book penned by this author is a joy to read, it's so easy to get immersed in her way of telling stories! And when the main characters are a puppy and his unlucky but caring mistress Kathleen, it's impossible not to love both. I'm sure the author had a dog at some point in her life because the way she describes Sirius' behaviour and needs are dead-on. Lovely story with a slightly rushed ending. I wish I had read this when I was younger, I'm sure the book would have been a favourite of mine by now.

Sentinel Rune Ainissesthai owns a favour to Vampyre Carling. When he gets to the secluded island where she is waiting to die, Carling sends him away but Rune decides to stay and help her find a cure to whatever is killing her.

The writing makes this book easy to read but unfortunately it is also very boring. I think the author wanted to try something new away from the fights and continued action that fill her two other books, but those are the reason I read this series and I wouldn't have kept reading if this was the first book of the series. The lack of action is supposedly balanced by a lot of romance as more than half of the book is about two people on an island. I feel this story was better off as a novella. There's also too many references to Apple products (I hope the publicity helped the author in some way) and since the story relies heavily on descriptions, there's only so many words you can use to describe the same feelings and scenes, sometimes it felt I was reading the same description multiple times. The 4th book - [b:Oracle's Moon|11458578|Oracle's Moon (Elder Races, #4)|Thea Harrison|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327192039s/11458578.jpg|16392681] - promises to have a more interesting duo so I'll probably read it, but I would gladly skip this one from the series.

Vampires are real and so are vampire slayers. The latter are known as lessers and have some powers of their own, even though humans only achieve that status by losing their soul. On the vampire side there is a brotherhood of powerful vampires - the black dagger brotherhood - that exists to exterminate the lessers and protect the rest of the vampire race. The story begins when it is revealed that one of the brothers has a human daughter called Beth, who is about to turn into a vampire. Since the conversion is dangerous, said brother asks Wrath - the only pure-bred vampire in the world - to help her during the conversion by giving her his royal blood. Initially Wrath refuses but when Beth's father dies, he steps in and takes Beth into his protection.

Everyone in Goodreads seems to love this book/series and now I know why. The author didn't lose any time starting the action and we are plunged into an ocean of vampires, humans and lessers right in the first pages, which is awesome. At first I was confused by the brothers' names - there are a lot of them - but the identification gets easier as the story progresses and we learn more about the characters. The book is hard to put down, not so much for the suspense as it is clear what's happening, but it's the connection to the characters that kept me reading and wanting more, even after the book ended. Great first book, I look forward to read the second.

Zach is the last freelance P.I. on Earth and has faced many superwomen in his career, which often comes with saving the world. However, none of those powerful women can hold a candle to Natasha. Built by the army and intended as the ultimate weapon, Natasha can kill a person just by using her mental powers. Unfortunately, people can also drop dead if Natasha loses her temper. Zach is ordered to track Natasha when she disappears and bring her back to her safe environment, but as the chase progresses Zach starts to wonder who really are the good and bad guys in the big picture.

Zakour is amazing at writing witty dialogues. The interaction between Zach, HARV and GUS is hilarious and the mystery adds up to make the book a compelling reading. As the action never stops, this book doesn't have a dull moment and the funny/interesting characters keep coming. I hope we see a little more of Zach's mother-in-law in the next books. Another great book to an awesome series!

Another body shows up in the back of Merlotte and Sookie is a prime suspect, as the dead body belongs to Arlene - her former friend who tried to kill her. The big question is who is trying to frame Sookie for Arlene's death.

Since I enjoyed reading the last book, I was hoping this one had a good pace and a fine mystery to wrap things up. I was wrong. I don't understand how an author has at least two books to finish a long series and ends up with this sloppy idea. Whiny Sookie is back and she acts as a sitting duck while her friends try to help her and get shot/harmed in the process. Not to mention the motives behind the crimes and the criminals were poorly chosen. I was happy some older characters were back until they were totally dismissed and disappeared into thin air. I really mean disappear, we don't know anything about them again. I guess most of the wrap up will happen in [b:After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse|17239876|After Dead What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse (Sookie Stackhouse, #13.5)|Charlaine Harris|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1364533931s/17239876.jpg|23766743], which is appalling since that information belongs in the last book of this the series, and not in a short story.

I understood who Sookie was going to end up with in the first books when Harris said she would not become a vampire. But the author made a bad choice when she didn't steer the story towards that end. It doesn't agree with the other books, and to that end Harris had to hastily erase Eric's personality - he so didn't deserve this ending. Why bring more holes into the story with this unconvincing plot? To think I was relieved the fae were gone and then read this... I know most people don't care about details, but if you say something is impossible you should stick to it. Or at least make characters behave in a coherent way. And most importantly, where did all the fun go? I don't know if the author is sad, but the tone of the books changed a lot and I missed the good laughs and funny situations, which was one of the main reasons I kept reading. I'm not happy about the holes, weird twists and a lot of hasty sentences thrown in to try and explain the holes, but I used to love this series. Even though this is the last, I would recommend everyone to read this series up to book 9. You'll be happier that way.

Eric is in trouble as the vampire King of Louisiana comes to Bon Temps to make Eric's life miserable over the death of his previous chief, Victor. Things get even more complicated for Eric when a woman that is half were is found dead outside his house, after he fed from her.

I sort of gave up on this series, but decided to give it another try and read the last books. It lost me when Eric lost his personality and intelligence, when the fae brought a lot of holes into the story and because the end is painfully obvious. Nevertheless, I actually enjoyed this book. It has a good mystery and I didn't think it was hard to read at all. I understood the little things were a way for Sookie to cherish her human life and care more about it than about the adrenaline rush she feels around the vampires. If I had read this book by itself I'd probably have given it 4 stars, but as it is, I'll give it 3. I miss how witty the characters were, how Eric understood Sookie perfectly well as opposed to Bill - even though no one would guess that after reading this book - and I mostly miss laughing out loud while reading. Things are wrapping up for Sookie and I still hope to get a laugh or two.

I understand why so many people liked this book, but it takes forever to actually begin. Not to mention that said beginning is very confusing, jumping from place to place and introducing new characters that play no role in the story. If it weren't recommended by a very good friend, I would have given it up.

The story revolves around a famous terrorist known as the Black Spirit, an English teacher (and avid gamer) and a cop named Angelique de Xavier that wants to stop the group of terrorists before another attack takes place. I understand that the author wanted to give us a good background of the characters, but most of it was irrelevant and made me lose track of the "present". I could see myself rolling my eyes every time the action went back to the past. If you can get past the middle, it's a very enjoyable book and it will also make you giggle with a handful of witty remarks.