Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Author: Neal Shusterman
Original title: Scythe 
Pages: 448
Edition Language: Russian
Series: Arc of a Scythe #1
Format: e-book
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Blurb: 
     A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

My thoughts: 
     I read the synopsis of this and loved the idea. And I really, REALLY wanted to love this book. It’s so popular on Booktube, Goodreads, everywhere. I was sure it was going to be a good one.
It was such a boring and predictable book. I understand that an imaginary world is created in a dystopian fantasy, but even then, the set up needs to be worked out well with reasons and consequences. The writing was not impressive, the characters flat and predictable.
      All in all, it was an tiresome 450 pages story of some kind of weird apprenticeship. The utopia was full of unexplained, contradictory rules and setup. The action seems to be created for the sake of it and pushed in front of the reader to be taken for granted. I really did not know if I should give the series another chance or just DNF it, but I decided to read the second book and was hooked, it was much more interesting, which I did not expect, so defensively finishing up the series.

  Rating:  

    2/5  

They shoot the horses don't they? by Horace McCoy

Author:  Horace McCoy
Original title:  They shoot the horses don't they?
Pages: 288
Edition Language: Russian
Series: no
Format: e-book
Genres: Classics, Crime
Goodreads

 Blurb:         
       The marathon dance craze flourished during the 1930s, but the underside was a competition and violence unknown to most ballrooms—a dark side that Horace McCoy's classic American novel powerfully captures.

My thoughts: 
      I find this title in one of the "you should read before you die" lists and it perfectly suited one of the prompts in my #popsugarchallenge2019 - read a book with the question mark in the title. Was I expecting anything special? No, just another display of difficult life. But I was so surprised by this short novel. It is really short and very brutal, full of events and great array of the side character and snippets of the their lives, all these give us enough to see humanity at the bottom of desperation and despair.
      The entire novel takes place on the dance floor, which is also quite unique and fresh setting. I have a feeling that the contest, in many ways, is the falsity and illusion of the American Dream.
      I found this short work was beautifully assembled, although the prose is quite simple, the narrator gives insight into the events of the dance marathon and the character of Gloria, a negationist, who sees through the falsity of this marathon. I did not like the main female character though and found her terribly irritating. But still definitely recommended.

 Rating:  

    4/5  

December 2019 Wrap up

Read books: 
read: 3/ listen: 0/ pages: 1373/ hours listened: 0
1. Macbeth by Jo Nesbø p.608 **
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini p.445 ****
3. Sweet Revenge by Lynsay Sands p. 320 ***

Movie watched:
1. And Then There Were None (2015) *****
2. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) **
3. Green Book (2018) ****
4. To the Bone (2017) ***
5. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) **
6. The Lost City of Z (2016) ****

November 2019 Wrap up

Read books: 
read: 3/ listen: 0/ pages: 1161/ hours listened: 0
1. Mistress by James Patterson, David Ellis p.411 ***
2. Awful Auntie by David Walliams p.414 **
3. Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer p. 336 ****

Movie watched:
1. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) ****

October 2019 Wrap up

Read books: 
read: 5/ listen: 0/ pages: 1689/ hours listened:0
Turkey Day Murder by Leslie Meier p. 233 ***
The Law of Tall Girls by Joanne Macgregor p. 352 ****
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire p. 416 **
The Dry by Jane Harper p. 320 ****
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli p. 368 **

Movie watched:
Gemini Man (2019) ****
Poslední aristokratka (2019) ***

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Author:  Seanan McGuire
Original title: Every Heart a Doorway
Pages: 224
Edition Language: Russian
Series: Wayward Children #1
Format: e-book
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

 Blurb:         
       Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.
     Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
       But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.
My thoughts: 
      It was such a disappointment for me. All this hype and really for what? I saw these series in almost everyone's video and have not heard any bad reviews. It is not that the book is bad, it is just so average and I do not understand the obsession with it.
       It was too short to connect with the characters or the worlds they experienced. The plot centers around a murder mystery. The killings were sudden and pretty brutal. It was quite predictable who was behind the murders. All of the children were one dimensional. They didn't have any personal characteristics. The whole pacing was a rush. The ending was unsatisfying and abrupt like most of the book for me. 
     It was a huge disappointment, I won't continue the series and I also wouldn't recommend it

 Rating:  

    2/5  

September 2019 Wrap up

Read books: 
read: 6/ listen: 0/ pages: 2018/ hours listened: 0
1. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas p.320 **
2. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? by Horace McCoy p. 288 ****
3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick p. 352 ***
4. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger p. 208 **
5. The Thirst by Jo Nesbø p. 512 ****
6. A Little Love by Amanda Prowse p. 338 ***

Movie watched:
Anna (2019) ****
Strike  season 2 (2018) ***
Pres prsty (2019) *****

Hotel by Arthur Hailey

Author:  Arthur Hailey 
Original title: Hotel
Pages: 442
Edition Language: Russian
Series: no
Format: Hardback
Genres: Contemporary
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   During five days in the midst of a hot, steamy Louisiana summer, the lives of a colorful cast of characters intertwine in a series of public, private, and personal dramas at the famed St. Gregory luxury hotel.
My thoughts: 
    It's a good little story, one of my favorites by Hailey: who knew that daily running of a hotel might be that interesting.
      Recently I re-read it again and the story totally holds up. Arthur Hailey is a good writer, an excellent storyteller, an expert at plotting and character development, and a genius at weaving story lines and characters together.  Despite some old cliche the characters here are excellent. The book is dated, the views and problems are dated but despite all that it is still a great story and fascinating read.

 Rating:  

    3/5  

August 2019 Wrap up

Read books: 
read: 10/ listen: 0/ pages: 3267/ hours listened: 0
1. Expecting Royal Twins! by Melissa McClone p.130 **
2. River Lady by Jude Deveraux p.400 ***
3. Chances Are by Robin Lee Hatcher p.352 **
4. P.S. I Like You by Kasie West p. 304 ***
5. Miss Cameron's Fall from Grace by Helen Dickson p.304 *
6. Persuasion by Jane Austen p.272 ****
7. The Garin Death Ray by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy p. 330 ****
8. Секреты спокойствия «ленивой мамы» by Anna Bykova p.288 ****
9. Royal Seduction by Jennifer Blake p. 566 *
10. The Astrologer's Daughter by Rebecca Lim p. 321 ***


Movie watched:
none

July 2019 Wrap up

Read books: 
read: 10/ listen: 1/ pages: 3272/ hours listened: 17h52m
1. The Hotel by Arthur Hailey p. 336 ***
2. Running on Waves by Alexander Grin p. 166 **
3. Jessie a Morgiana by Alexander Grin p. 131 ****
4. Scarlet Sails by Alexander Grin p.126 *****
5. The Glittering World by Alexander Grin p.123 *
6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott p. 640 ***
7. Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott p. 330 ***
8. The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter 17h52m
9. The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris p. 704 ***
10. Once a Princess by Johanna Lindsey p. 384 ***
11. The Heir by Johanna Lindsey p. 352 **

Movie watched:
None this month unfortunatelly.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Author: Liane Moriarty
Original title: What Alice Forgot
Edition Language: English
Series: no
Genres: Contemporary
Format: Audio book
Read by: Caroline Lee
Duration: 15h34m
Goodreads

Blurb:
    Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child. So imagine Alice’s surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym (a gym! She HATES the gym) and is whisked off to the hospital where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over — she’s getting divorced, she has three kids, and she’s actually 39 years old. Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade, and find out whether it’s possible to reconstruct her life at the same time. She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her, and how is it that she’s become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes. Ultimately, Alice must discover whether forgetting is a blessing or a curse, and whether it’s possible to start over…

My thoughts:
       Alice has a fall at the gym and loses her memory of the last 10 years. I really enjoyed how the story was told through Alice's eyes as I learned how she has changed and also the people around her as she pieces the events of the last 10 years together. She remembers the people around her and their situations as they were 10 years ago and given little clues which creates the mystery of how the events of their lives have changed and shaped into who they are today.
    This fiction covers a broad array of topics, including divorce, death, infertility and a complete breakdown of the family unit. Actually, I liked how the infertility topic was dealt with. I never questioned this issue and had a vague idea what women are going through. In the book I saw a scary picture of obsession that shapes your life in all aspects starting with your sexual life and finishing with your perсeption of the world itself, splitting it into two militant camps. Very complicated and disturbing topic.
      The whole "Alice situation" made me think a lot, how we give in to the flow of time and get lost in everyday life, getting far and far away from us - young and purposeful, ambitious and full of great plans. It is not that we are pathetic nowadays, but how life changes and how it shapes up our demands and expectations. The main challenge here is to look at yourself with your younger eyes and say truly if you are happy with what you see. So those kind of questions were popping up in my mind, while I listen to this book, which is a very nice and funny read with a lot of dramatic turns, but still quite enjoyable.

Rating: 

         4/5 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Author: John Green 
Original title: The Fault in Our Star
Pages: 456
Edition Language: English
Series: no
Format: paperbook
Genres: Contemporary
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
     Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

My thoughts: 
    The story centers around a young girl named Hazel, she is suffering from terminal cancer. Hazel meets a boy named Augustus, he also has cancer. The connection between these two main characters is wonderful. They grasp the meaning of death and are yet still fearful of it, they know they will eventually die but then so does everyone.  Hazel and Gus are actually great characters, I really liked them and I liked their conversations. John Green does have a way with dialogue, that is where his strength lies.

There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from cancer when you are sixteen, and that's having a kid who bites it from cancer.

     I cried like a baby while reading it and gave it 4 starts. I though realized the point of the book and generally I do not like tearjerkers.  It just was very obvious from chapter one that there was one purpose, and one purpose only to this plot. To be sad. Take away the emotional aspect, and there really isn't a lot left. It was about cancer, so you knew it would be sad. There were no twists, no mystery, nothing out of the ordinary. Even if you just really love tearjerkers, there are many other sad books out there that are written to provoke more emotion. But there was nothing creative about the story. I do not like cancer being exploited for entertainment and profit... but still...this book hit me hard on an emotional level.

 Rating:  

    4/5 

Inkspell|Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

Author: Cornelia Funke
Original title: Tintenblut 
Pages: 683
Edition Language: Russian
Series: Inkworld #2
Format: ebook
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Author: Cornelia Funke
Original title: Tintentod
Pages: 672
Edition Language: Russian
Series: Inkworld #3
Format: ebook
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of INKHEART, the book whose characters became real. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of his past.

  My thoughts: 

       In Inkspell, I love the fact that we finally see the inkworld, as Meggie and Farid decide to embark on their journey to go after Dustfinger. It’s a world inhabited by fantastical creatures like fairies, glassmen, giants and speaking trees, but also human beings like the Black Prince, Clouddancer and Cosimo, the Fair.
       However, some of the plot points in this instalment are a little forced. With Capricorn out of the way, Cornelia Funke was in need of a new villain for this second instalment, and it almost seems like the Adderhead came as a second thought.
       Secondly, Meggie is only 13 and the entire romance between her and Farid is really annoying.   I thought Meggie's character suffered a tremendous loss in her falling in love with Farid. She became less independent and less self-reliant. Their relationship struck me as unbelievable and I just really think the whole little romance thing was way overplayed.

       Inkdeath was not my favorite of the series, but the writing was good. Honestly, I'd hoped for better. Don't let this put you off though. I definitely recommend Inkheart and Inkspell.
       What I really didn't like about the book is the way it jumped around. Dustfinger is alive, now he's "dead", now he's alive again. Then there was the whole transforming into animals thing. Where it came from? The ending was really rushed, and I kind of wish that the author had slowed down to explain some things and left out all of the unnecessary details that amounted to nothing in the end anyway.

Rating:  

    3/5  

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Author: Kristin Hannah
Original title: The Great Alone
Edition Language: English
Series: no
Genres: Contemporary
Format: Audio book
Read by: Julia Whelan
Duration: 15h02m
Goodreads

Blurb:
   Alaska, 1974.
Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.
    Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
    Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown

My thoughts:
       This book was beautiful and devastating, I found myself so incredibly frustrated with the characters. Domestic violence, PTSD, coming of age story and it covers so many destinies and themes, and overall a pretty solid book, but...Kristin Hannah wrote 70% of a novel and then 30% of a soap opera.
      We get the story of Leni and her family. "The Great Alone" is set in the 1970s, and Leni’s father is a Vietnam War POW who suffers from nightmares and an explosive temper. It makes you wonder why he chooses to take his family to Alaska, which feels like the end of the world and where they definitely become as isolated as they can be.  So from this point the things are getting worse.  As the days creep toward winter, the main character’s father becomes increasingly paranoid. Instead of working with the townspeople to keep everyone alive through the winter, he suspects everyone and isolate his family from the rest of people even more. The relationships between the characters are so volatile, that they go from loving each other to abusing each other in seconds.
       Kristin Hannah brings the beauty and danger of Alaska to life and this is a great background for drama that is taking place. I love the nature descriptions. The small town is vivid and full of memorable characters. I liked Large Marge, but really hated the parents of Lani: absolutely worthless, selfish and spineless people, who did nothing for their child to have a childhood. They put their own petty arguments ahead of their child’s safety.
          So the first better part of the book was just excellent, but the end...  By the end, it was pure soap opera and over-the-top tragic. It spoiled the whole enjoyment of the book and left some unpleasant aftertaste. Still the first part was 5 star read!

Rating: 

         5/5 

Headhunters by Jo Nesbø

Author: Jo Nesbø
Original title: Hodejegerne
Pages: 224
Edition Language: Russian
Series: no
Format: paperback
Genres: crime
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   Roger Brown is a corporate headhunter, and he’s a master of his profession. But one career simply can’t support his luxurious lifestyle and his wife’s fledgling art gallery. At an art opening one night he meets Clas Greve, who is not only the perfect candidate for a major CEO job, but also, perhaps, the answer to his financial woes: Greve just so happens to mention that he owns a priceless Peter Paul Rubens painting that’s been lost since World War II—and Roger Brown just so happens to dabble in art theft. But when he breaks into Greve’s apartment, he finds more than just the painting. And Clas Greve may turn out to be the worst thing that’s ever happened to Roger Brown.

  My thoughts: 
    I am a Nesbo fan and so this book has to be read.
    It was a good beach or airline read. It pretty much relies on one plot twist; not one character is likeable, and there is no real character development.  It is a short novel and a quick read that is well plotted and has more than a few twists and turns, most of which I did not see coming. Most of which are plausible and worked, some did not and felt forced.
    I liked that Nesbo stepped away from the police procedural detective and choose this unexpected and unlikable character. The main character is a corporate headhunter who also happens to steal fine art in order to fund a lavish lifestyle. He has no proper training or former military background to survive in the mess he was caught up, just a  proud white-collar, used to office banquets and cocktail parties, thus the more enjoyable it was to follow him on this adventure.
     Overall, this is a fast-paced novel, with some truly clever bits of shock and surprise that will keep you entertained.

Rating:  

    3/5 

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Author: Gustave Flaubert
Original title: Madame Bovary
Pages: 338
Edition Language: Russian
Series: no
Format: e-book
Genres: classics
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   Madame Bovary tells the story of farmgirl Emma, who marries provincial doctor, Charles Bovary, and almost immediately regrets it when she realises that it means she has to live in the provinces.

  My thoughts: 
    Finally, I finished madam Bovary. It was one of my must read classics list. I am not sure what I was expecting, another Gaskell or Austen probably, so I was totally unprepared for what I got into. Such irritating, and unpleasant main character. I was angry with her almost all of the time.
No one can deny the beauty of prose and description. The writing style captures straight away and I could only amaze with what ease and skill the author describes the nature and striving of one's soul.
As for the story, it is a good one, that depicts triviality of provincial life. The main character lives beyond her means in order to escape the trap of her marriage and is looking desperately for happiness. This driving throws her from one desperate and stupid decision to another.
 I was still sick and tired with the main character. I had no patience to all the whining and sighing. I could find no compassion for her, as her behavior, her superiority thinking, her total absence of respect to the only person who truly loved her, made me only more and more irritated.
 I must confess, that I believe, that if I would have read this novel 10 years ago, I might deeply sympathize with madam Bovary, with her unhappiness and romantic wishes. However, now from all the life experience I have no tolerance with her. A person, who failed as a wife and as a mother, in search of something that she deserves, purely based on vanity and a couple romantic books. And her stupid, selfish and dishonorable way of resolving her problems, leaving her family in the mess she created... Not my hero. I took the star from my rating purely based on my disliking of madam Bovary, which does not make a book less worth reading.

Rating:  

    4/5 

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Original title: Eleanor & Park
Pages: 400
Edition Language: Russian
Series: no
Format: ebook
Genres: Contemporary
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   Two misfits. One extraordinary love.
    Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

  My thoughts: 

       This follows the story of two young people named Eleanor and Park, who meet on the bus journey to school. It tells of their unlikely friendship and how this grows over time to become something much more.

      To be frank, there is a number of things I did not like, but still I gave it 3 stars. I did enjoy it for some mysterious reason. Although this book is about teenagers, it was well written for adults. It very much speaks to adults, recalling the awkward adolescent years. There were parts that were sad, mainly with Eleanor's family. At times it was rather slow as not much was happening. The constant point-of-view switches were slightly distracting and I didn't believe the relationship, that zoomed from zero to 100 in intensity.

      All said, I still enjoyed this book way more than famous Fangirl and recommend it if you feel nostalgic about your adolescence years.

Rating:  

    3/5 

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Author: Rick Yancey
Original title: The 5th Wave 
Pages: 460
Edition Language: English
Series: The 5th Wave #1
Format: paperback
Genres: Dystopia
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

  My thoughts: 

          We primarily follow a young lady named Cassie, whose younger brother has been taken away from her. She evolves as a character throughout the novel as she is thrown into more dangerous and demanding situations. Her mission is to save her brother, and there is no hope for any kind of normality for her anymore.

      So, the world is coming to an end - humanity is slowly being killed off by an alien race and their 'waves' that keep hitting Earth. The first 'wave' cuts all of the power and sends the inhabitants of Earth into a frenzy. There are four waves that follow causing total destruction and devastation - the aim is to wipe out as many humans as possible.

      In another thread of the story we follow Cassie's brother, Sam. Sam is five years old and is being trained up to kill the enemy - but how can you know who the enemy is when they all have human faces.

        My only issue was with Cassie and Ben's meeting toward the end of the story. I had been wondering how it would play out, but it seemed a bit rushed and awkward and I found myself a bit disappointed. The ending of the book as the whole was rushed, I would have liked the author to give this section a bit more meaning.

       Altogether, a quick, fun and engaging read! Had me on the edge of my seat! Action packed, fast paced and a real page turner! I would highly recommend this apocalyptic YA read. I am afraid to pick up the second book, what if it does not live up to the first book?

Rating:  

    4/5 

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Author: Katherine Arden
Original title: The Bear and the Nightingale
Pages: 456
Edition Language: English
Series: Winternight Trilogy #1
Format: paperbook
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
     As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

My thoughts: 
    My expectations of the book were really high. That, I guess, spoiled the reading. For those who knows nothing of Russia, its history, religion and popular belief this book will open an entire new world with magical creatures and folk stories. I was a bit amused but not overwhelmed by it. For me it was rather slow narration with a lot of side characters, whose sorties were not developed into something interesting.
   We follow the girl who has some magic powers, not like Harry Potter magic, but down to earth magic. She is growing up in a loving family and she is looking for her place in the world, which has no other role for women apart from being a mother and a subordinate of her man. That coming of age aspect I really enjoyed and family dynamics are great.
    What I did not like, I guess, is the whole aspect of the evil and the final battle to which the whole book was leading, it was kind of rushed and too convenient.
    It was not the strongest book, but it was a good beginning of a series, as for most people all that description of land, habits and religious conflicts were needed to be explained, as Arden chose quite specific and not wildly known period of time in Russian history. I can see the references to real historical figures and where this story can go, since this time was rich on heroic and crucial battles and actions.
    Everyone is saying that second book is much better, so I am continuing with the series and hope my guesses will come true, though I am not a big fan of the love interest that might be developed later on in the next books.
    Apart of my "meh" opinion on the book, I highly recommend it. Arden made a great job with research and the descriptions are so accurate and detailed, that I could not stop admiring her work. The book has a glossary at the end, so please, do not miss it; it explains lots of Russian words used in a book and is really great help in navigating in pagan creatures that you might meet on the pages, and it is very accurate! 

 Rating:  

    3/5 

The Waif of the "Cynthia" by André Laurie and Jules Verne

Author: André Laurie and Jules Verne
Original title: L'Épave du Cynthia
Pages: 432
Edition Language: Russian
Series: no
Format: e-book
Genres: Adventure, Mystery
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   1886 novel by Andre Laurie and Jules Gabriel Verne. A novel about a young man's search for his identity leads him through Verne's 5th novel of Arctic exploration.
  
My thoughts: 

      One of my childhood favorites. The Scandinavian setting of this novel was unusual and quite refreshing. The plot revolved around a dark-haired boy called Erik in a family of blond Norwegians. He was discovered by them in the sea as a baby tied to a ship's buoy. The plot concerns Erik's efforts to chase round the world trying to track down a sailor who supposedly knows the secret of his abandonment. We follow Eric’s life from his childhood: all his struggles in finding his own identity as he has no roots. It was a nice coming of age story, but still I liked more the adventurous part of the novel. It was a great sea journey that I followed with a map open, marking their route and places visited. It is true that everything comes together rather conveniently at the end, but I could not ask more from a teen adventurous story. 

Rating:  

    4/5