-The Starless Sea

Starless Sea

By Erin Morgenstern

The main character is Zachary Ezra Rawlins along with several other characters and puzzle pieces. Zachary, is a young gay man of color and is the son of a fortune-teller. He finds a mysterious book and when he reads through the pages, he reads a story of his own childhood.

eager to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary discovers a series of clues--a bee, a key, and a sword--that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library, hidden far below the surface of the earth.

If you like a story for the sake of the story, then I recommend reading it.

I think Erin Morgenstern writing is like a painting. You can visually follow her story, Her imagery fascinated me. The starless sea is not a normal book it is a complex read and hard to follow. If you enjoy complex fantasy, then you are going to love this. I found no other stories comparable to this book/ Erin Morgenstern has a unique and different way of telling tales. I really liked the love letter to interactive storytelling in video game form.

“Strange, isn’t it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like part of your own history because they are. It’s nice to finally have someone read stories I know so intimately.”

― Erin Morgenstern, The Starless Sea

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-Cilka's Journey

Cilka's Journey

By Heather Morris

I first read The Tattooist of Auschwitz. That is another amazing story by itself and I will post a review very soon.

Cilka's journey is based on a true story of a woman. It is sad, brutal, powerful and gut-wrenching. It will break your heart and build it back up.

Cilka is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1942, where the commandant immediately notices how beautiful she is. Forcibly separated from the other women prisoners, Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly taken, equals survival.

From child to woman, from woman to healer, Cilka's journey illuminates the resilience of the human spirit―and the will we have to survive.

Cilka was in Auschwitz a German Concentration Camp for three years. The first page starts with Cilka being told she is free. ”Du Bist Frei” . It is the end of the war and she is free to start a new life. But life can be cruel sometimes. This is when she is arrested for collaboration with the Nazis and sent to a Soviet gulag above the Arctic Circle.

I found the book perfectly written and perfectly researched. There are touching scenes that may makes the readers uncomfortable, but these scenes are essential for the story to tell Cilka’s journey.

I was engrossed from page one.

 A phenomenal story of survival and courage. I got to know about powerful women and their will to survive. These women struggle for their lives, and they also have a greater purpose, that is to help others and save their lives.

“Did I tell you about Cilka?" "No, Lale, you didn't. Who was Cilka?" "She was the bravest person I ever met. Not the bravest girl, the bravest person.”

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-Cinder

Cinder

Novel by Marissa Meyer

A cyborg Cinderella story!

Lihn Cinder is a cyborg mechanic (almost half mechanical) who lives in Beijing a country ravaged by plague outbreak. She lives there along with her fully human sister Pearl, her best friend Iko. Cinder falls in love with Prince Kai when walks into her shop to fix his android. And since then everything changes for Cinder.

cyborgs are paid one pier day for plague research, they are not considered true citizens, thus they can be turned in any time. Cinder’s stepmother turns her in and from there her journey starts, she had an interview with the doctor and set up to be sacrificed.

Marissa Meyer has penned a very creative an imaginative world for Cinder that I found full of potential. The set is in china, but I didn’t find any Chinese culture in this story. The book started without any explanation about Beijing and how or why it became that way.

 Cinder is a Cyborg yet; she is emotionally too human and that didn’t make sense to me.As a cyborg there was only two things she couldn’t do, blushing and crying!!. Personally, I expected a lot more considering the hype. The Idea was great and creative, but I think there was lack of culture adaptation and detailed explanation.

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-Christmas Shopaholic

Christmas Shopaholic

By Sophie Kinsella

Becky Branson has returned from the states and is living in  the charming village of Letherby. She is working with Suze, her best friend in Suze’s gift shop.She shopping online while she listens to her meditation tapes.

Becky is hosting Christmas for the first time , and she really believes there is nothing complicated about it. The book is about all the unlucky accidents that happen during the time she is preparing for the party before the holiday. And then we get to experience Christmas Shopaholic style.

A very fun and easy book to read. I found it a fast paced read and very entertaining.

Specially when her old boyfriend and his fiance come to town.

 Becky has a fun and loving character. Sometimes she really cares to much about what others think about her but her lovely personality overcomes all these.

If you are looking for an easy and fast paced holiday book, then I recommend reading it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for sending me an ARC copy.

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-EveryThing You Are

Everything You Are

By Kerry Anne King

A beautifully written story penned by Kerry Anne King. A lyrical Novel about love, family, courage and forgiveness.

Braden Healey , a cellist, who lost his son and ex-wife in an accident leaving him alone with his seventeen year old daughter, Allie. A grieving, stubborn and angry girl who hasn’t seen her father for eleven years.

Braden was a successful cellist until there was an accident and since then he claims he can’t play it anymore and now Allie plays it. They have this common bond that they try to deny.

 Phee’s (Ophelia) granddad hand over his business to Phee for her eighteenth birthday. She is very surprised that her grand dad has chosen her for their family business, what she doesn’t know is that not only she inherits the musical shop but also the secrets and promises that comes with it. There are people who signed contract for an instrument and now Phee has to make sure that these people continue to play.

A captivating, emotional and suspenseful novel. I found it very easy to connect with the characters who are vividly described. This book is about importance of family and friends, the importance of communication and seeking help.I have to say I enjoyed it from cover to cover. Great arrangement of plot, characters and story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me an ARC copy.

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