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slayra

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Joined 2 years, 5 months ago

My favourite genre is fantasy but I also love comedy, which means I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman and CK McDonnell. Truth is, I'll read anything!

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J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Hardcover, 2007, Arthur A. Levine Books)

You have in your hands the pivotal fourth novel in the seven part tale of …

Review of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' on 'Goodreads'

Harry Potter is back at Hogwarts after the emotion of watching his first Quidditch championship with Ron and Hermione. Unfortunately, the Death Eaters are back as well as the dark mark. Times are changing.

I love that the last chapter is called the beginning. It is indeed the beginning of the end of the series and it gets better and better as darkness rises and divides wizards and fantastic creatures. I liked this book much better now, for some reason I had forgotten most of it. What a wonderful ride!

Jim Butcher: Side Jobs (2010, Roc/New American Library)

Review of 'Side Jobs' on 'Goodreads'

Nice collection of short stories, very well written and compelling. Butcher is great at writing them, sometimes I find myself more invested in these than in the full length novels.

There is a funny short story with Harry, Molly and Thomas. And real vampires among humans pretending to be vampires. It is fast paced and although not much happens, it is always nice to catch a glimpse of Harry between novels. I had forgotten Thomas' birthday was on Valentine's day and Harry's is on Halloween.. what a family!

Neil Gaiman: Anansi Boys (2006, Harper Torch)

God is dead. Meet the kids.

When Fat Charlie's dad named something, it stuck. Like …

Review of 'Anansi boys' on 'Goodreads'

Fat Charlie has a comfortable life in London and a lovely fiancée whose mother is hell on Earth. Fat Charlie cannot say his life is everything he has ever dreamt of, but when his father dies and he learns he is the son of a god and that he has a brother, the life he knows and Rosie are gone and Fat Charlie wants it back.

This book was a brilliant surprise. Whether you like or do not like [b:American Gods|30165203|American Gods|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462924585s/30165203.jpg|1970226], give this a try because there is nothing in common between the two except that there are gods in it. Fat Charlie, Spider, Rosie, Rosie's mother and Daisy are characters that we easily care about but I wasn't expecting the humour. This book is way funnier than it should be because it is beautifuly written, the characters and story evolve in a very satisfying way and it …

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2014, Naufaul)

For Harry Potter, it’s the start of another far-from-ordinary year at Hogwarts when the Knight …

Review of 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' on 'Goodreads'

Harry Potter learns that a very dangerous wizard has escaped Azkaban and that he may be after him. Hogwarts is obviously the best place to keep Harry safe, but no one intends to leave Harry alone - not even to visit Hogsmeade, the only village in Britain where everyone is a wizard.

This has always been my favourite of the series, and now that I am rereading it, I guess it was the promise of Harry finally getting a loving family. But there is so much more I love about this book! The Divination class always made me laugh, the way Dumbledore understands his students can play a big role in the destiny of things, the way Hermione always does what is right even when her own friends are against her (reminds me of [b:Coraline|17061|Coraline|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493497435s/17061.jpg|2834844]), the amazing Lupin as the new teacher... And of course, the existence of Sirius …

Terry Pratchett: Soul Music (Discworld Novel) (Hardcover, 2013, Gollancz)

Death goes walk-about and tries everything, including joining the French Foreign Legion, to forget a …

Review of 'Soul Music (Discworld Novel)' on 'Goodreads'

Death has another middeath crisis and Susan, as the only unnatural heir, gets the scythe and part of the powers that come with the job. But she does not want cute guys to die, specially when they are introducing the new "music with rocks in" era to the Disc - not even the librarian is immune to the new rhythm!

I love the Death character and it gets more and more amusing as humanity keeps finding a way in. A true rebel of the Gods! It is a brilliant book as always, filled with rock mentions/nods that had me giggling every time I found one. The story takes some time to develop and the end is a bit weird, but each paragraph is a story in itself filled with vivid images of recurring gags and hilarious moments. I am not the biggest fan of the wizards, but they probably are …

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2016)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a fantasy novel written by British author …

Review of 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' on 'Goodreads'

Harry is back at Hogwarts for his second year, but him and Ron arrive by flying car when they both lose the train. Which means a lot of trouble for them before the classes even have a chance to start. This time things get darker, as it is found that Hogwarts has been sitting on a monster: the chamber of secrets. And someone has opened it again...

Funny how this was my least favourite book in the series, and after re-reading it, I found it very good! Maybe I did not pay attention the first time I read it, or the Portuguese version lacks a lot of the suspense the original one has. This time I enjoyed this a lot, and you can tell the darkness is approaching... I cannot wait to read the next one, which was my favourite in the series. Let's see how that holds.

Joe Harris: X-Files (Hardcover, 2016, IDW Publishing)

Review of 'X-Files' on 'Goodreads'

This audiobook explains why Mulder and Scully were called back to restart the X-files. The story starts with a cyberattack that downloads all the FBI information regarding the X-files. Since their identity has been compromised, they are taken out of reclusion and brought back to the FBI headquarters where they are supposed to investigate some of their cold cases. And aliens, a lot of aliens.

This worked very well as an audiobook, mostly because it was a full-cast dramatisation (with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson!) and also because it was adapted by the audio-genius Dirk Maggs. Having said that, I should mention that the foreign accents were very weird. I had to read the X-files story up to that point to be able to keep up with the audiobook, which makes me believe listening to this out of the blue won't work. It is too confusing to work as a …

Review of 'Proven Guilty' on 'Goodreads'

The Gatekeeper warns Dresden about the rise of dark magic in Chicago, but the warning is
atemporal and it is not clear if something has already happened or will happen. And after avoiding Michael for almost 2 years because of the fallen angel mark, Harry cannot put off meeting him any longer after Molly - Michael's older daughter - calls him for help. Her boyfriend Nelson is the main suspect in attacking an old man, but Harry believes he is innocent.

I loved when Harry called his friends his heroes, and that he has gathered a "team" instead of facing everything alone. At this point I do not believe I could ever read something associated with Harry Dresden and not enjoy it immensely. However, this book felt like a preparation for the next one (or ones). It felt like getting all the ingredients ready for a big magic banquet... and …

Molly Harper, Amanda Ronconi: Accidental Sire (AudiobookFormat, 2017, Audible Studios on Brilliance, Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio)

Review of 'Accidental Sire' on 'Goodreads'

Meagan is walking back from a party with Ben, and she thinks she might just have found "the" boy when she is hit by an exceptionally heavy frisbee flying at a supernatural speed. She is brought back as a vampire by a "volunteer" sire and soon learns something is wrong with her when she rises after 24h instead of the usual 72h. And she has more fangs than usual, and that she may have killed Ben.

I feel like Molly Harper redeemed herself since I did not fins the last book as entertaining. Meagan is a great main character, she is lovely and all her reactions and thoughts are considerate. She is a lot like Libby (from [b:The Single Undead Moms Club|25101899|The Single Undead Moms Club (Half-Moon Hollow, #4)|Molly Harper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425858096s/25101899.jpg|44793360] ) and that was one of my favourites from the series, so I guess it means I love this one. …

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Paperback, 2008, Scholastic)

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn …

Review of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on 'Goodreads'

Harry Potter has lived with is uncle, aunt and horrible cousin since he was a baby. His parents died shortly after he was born and he has no recollection of them, although he loves his parents unconditionally - probably because he is clearly not wanted by his remaining relatives. One day Harry discovers he is a wizard and that there is a whole new world waiting for him. He can leave his miserable life and embrace the magic that lives in him.

When I read this book for the first time, which was almost 20 years ago, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. Maybe because I read it in Portuguese. But now reading the original words and seeing those beautiful illustrations, it took my breath away. What a great book to read over and over again! I loved how Harry forged his friendships, how children are so sure of …

Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Paperback, 2009, Maclehose Press)

Review of "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" on 'Goodreads'

Salander is in the hospital after Blomkvist found her and is slowly recovering, while her dad is alive in the same hospital some doors down. The police is as confused as ever, but finally they start to consider alternative theories to the big mess they got themselves into. Salander finds out she has her own small army and they will try to correct all the wrong done to her, while their enemies will try to discredit her yet again.

The final volume (for now) of the original Millennium series picks up right where the second book ended. And the amazing ride continues! It is incredible how the suspense keeps going even though the story was sort of finished in the last book. What an amazing writer! I followed every character like each was the main priority of the book. I loved the sudden changes in the pace and the mysteries …

Terry Pratchett: Men at Arms: The Play (1997)

Men at Arms is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 15th book …

Review of 'Men at Arms' on 'Goodreads'

The city watch has new recruits that reflect the minorities of Ankh-Morpork: a dwarf, a troll and a woman (!). The new and old watch have to set their differences aside as they work together to uncover a mysterious break-in at the Assassins' Guild and find the killer of a dwarf, who was an expert in clockwork.

I am forever in awe of Pratchett. I knew people loved Sam Vimes but it was this book that made me understand all the respect for that character. What a lovely story on companionship and always doing what is right. This should be must read material for anyone - it is just that good! Funny and thought provocative, almost the perfect book.

Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Paperback, 2011, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, Vintage)

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Swedish: Flickan som lekte med elden) is the second …

Review of 'The Girl Who Played with Fire' on 'Goodreads'

Millennium has another hot story to publish, a journalist has been researching and is about to expose a large network involving sex slaves and powerful people who have a lot to lose. When said journalist and his partner are found dead by Blomkvist, it just makes him want more than ever to publish the story and find the killer.

This book was so good! I confess I did not understand what the beginning had to do with the rest of the story, even though it would make a great short story. Was it for the readers to understand Salander's morals? To understand how she spent a year away? Nevertheless, it feels very disconnected to rest, which has a much faster pace than the previous volume and is impossible to put down. I loved every bit of it and when I could not read, I was thinking about the loose ends …

Jim Butcher: Jim Butcher's Dresden files (2014, Dynamite Entertainment)

"A war is raging between the vampire forces of the Red Court and the White …

Review of "Jim Butcher's Dresden files" on 'Goodreads'

Still not as good as "Welcome to the jungle" but definitely better than "Ghoul goblin". Dresden is sent on a mission for the White Council with three young wardens. He soon realizes there is something wrong and that they may not survive the night. I really enjoyed the art in this novel and the story was captivating. It has a bonus appearance at the end that just made my day. This is a great addition to the main series.