venerdì 28 giugno 2013

Feature and Follow #8


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature&Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.


The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs! 


How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!



This Week's question

What is your preferred reading format? Hardcover, eBooks, paperback etc?


My preferred reading format is absolutely hardback, then paperback and at the end ebooks. I find it more authentic to read books on paper but I also know that being an Italian blogger, I NEED an ereader, because shipping is so expensive and I do understand if not all the authors are willing to pay that much. (:
Hardbacks and paperback are just my passion, I love spending money on books but I honestly wouldn't pay for an ebook because I think that the difference between the ebook's price and the paperback's is not that big, most of the times!

Please Follow me through Bloglovin, since GFC is going to expire this Monday!

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giovedì 27 giugno 2013

Review: The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler + Movie Comparison

The Hypnotist
Joona Linna Series #1
Authors: Lars Kepler
Published: January 1st 2009
PublisherSarah Crichton Books 
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 503
Source: Bought
Purchase: Amazon, TBD

Goodreads
In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes.
It’s the sort of work that Bark has sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.
An international sensation, The Hypnotist is set to appear in thirty-seven countries, and it has landed at the top of bestseller lists wherever it’s been published—in France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark. Now it’s America’s turn. Combining the addictive power of the Stieg Larsson trilogy with the storytelling drive of The Silence of the Lambs, this adrenaline-drenched thriller is spellbinding from its very first page.

My Review

The Hypnotist was an amazing Sweden thriller that has reached the level of Stieg Larsson novels - even if, to be sincere, I can't really make a comparison since I didn't read other Sweden thrillers. But, certainly, this one was great. Fantastic. Amazing. Incredible. 

Since the first pages I knew that the strong point of this book was going to be the plot, since the authors' writing style was pretty sterile - even if I do love this kind of writing! The story immediately caught me up since I found it original how police men and doctors used hypnosis as a medical cure and, eventually, also as a weapon to obtain informations.When the revelation of what the case was going to be about, struck, it was impossible not to be dragged by the overflowing connections between past and present. Infact, in the story, Joona Linna and Erik Maria Bark, will be forced to face two difficult cases, the multiple murder of the Ek's family and then the kidnapping of Erik's son, Benjamin. 

If there is something that annoyed me a little about the plot is how rapidly the Ek's case had been put down, as soon as Benjamin's case takes over. I would have loved to read more about the Ek's murder - you will discover who it is as soon as you start reading the first 150 pages - because he/she was such a fascinating character, I really have a passion for the mad ones and in this book they were described brilliantly.

What I probably enjoyed most, apart from the story, was the writing style. The thing I first noticed was how slowly the first 150-200 pages went by, the authors were meticulous, they wrote and rewrote the same scenes - that were developed in 3-4 days at the beginning - from all the characters' point of view and - MIRACLE! - I didn't find it boring for a second.  It was evident that they tried to increase the tension and it was like they were trying to reflect Erik's feelings: infact, since he was addicted to pills, especially sleeping pills, is like days were passing by slowly, constantly in a state of unconsciousness and sleepiness, but as soon as his personal life got involved, the story proceeded more rapidly.  The language was plain, sometimes even harsh, the dialogues simple and immediate, there was no emotion in them because all characters had the vice to keep everything they felt, inside. I thought it was great that in general the book was so direct and plain because it perfectly reflected the beautiful, static, snowy landscapes that were so wonderfully described.

About the film

Speaking of the film, I didn't quite like it, I mean it started well but then it just couldn't keep up to the book. The mystery was so deep, thick, everything was so intertwined, that it was just impossible to put everything in a two hours film. The psycology of the characters, as always, had not been studied, the complexity of Erik's addiction, his familiar relationships and the intricate personality of the Ek's killer and Benjamin's kidnapper, not analysed - Benjamin's kidnapper almost seemed normal in the film! If there was something good in the film was certainly the photography and I also quite liked some of the actors, for example the ones that played Erik and Simone, Erik's  wife.

Overall
A compelling, gripping novel that will keep you awake all night long!


Rated 5.00





Blitz: Shine not Burn by Elle Casey + give@way!

Shine Not Burn 
by Elle Casey
Publication date: June 30th 2013 
Genre: NA Romance

Goodreads

IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS. I can't be held responsible. Things that happen there are supposed to stay there, right? Right? Yeeeah. Not so much. ... Andie's just days away from tying the knot, but there's just ooooone little glitch. Apparently, she's already married. Or someone with her name is married to a guy out in Oregon of all places, and the courthouse won't issue her a marriage license until it's all cleared up. Tripping her way through cow pies and country songs to meet up with a man who gets around places on horseback is her very last idea of how to have a good time, but if she's going to get married, make partner at the firm, and have two point five kids before she's thirty-five, she needs to get to the bottom of this snafu and fix it quick ... before her fiance finds out and everything she's been working toward goes up in flames.

Want to purchase a copy?There's a special offer going on now for Shine Not Burn, just 0.99c! Click here!

Short Interview

How do you write so many books in such a short period of time?
Short and sweet:  I have a system for getting the work done, and I'm a helluva fast typer.  More details: I have a ton of stories always waiting in my head to be told, and when I sit down at the computer, the words just kind of spill out.  My stories are very character-driven, meaning I don't make up the story.  I just find the characters wandering around in my head, put them in a situation, and let them run with it.  Now that I'm a full-time writer, I can dedicate more of my time to writing that I used to when I was also teaching at a university.  I treat writing as a business and try to be very disciplined about it.  After eighteen months of writing, I've published 20 novels, so I think my system is working.  

How long have you been writing?  What did you do before you were a writer?
I've been writing since January of 2012.  Before that I was a lot of things … most recently an attorney.  But you can add the following other jobs to the list:  retail sales clerk, air traffic controller (in the Air Force), waitress, restaurant owner, stock broker, insurance salesperson, professor, and CEO of a medical device company.  I'm one of those people who gets bored easily, so after being in a job for a few years, I need a change so I can be challenged again.  The beauty of being a writer is it's never the same job twice, and it really doesn't feel like work.  It's the best job I've ever had, hands down.  It's the only job in the world were you walk into work (in my case, open the computer) and your boss starts the day by telling you how amazing you are.  My readers are my bosses now, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  They really are great motivators. :)

What's the most important element in a romance in your opinion?
A sexy guy.  Seriously, he just needs to be sexy as hell, and that doesn't mean sexy can't come in different packages.  For example, in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the MC, Ian, is very understated and shy, but man, he rocked my world.  He reminds me a lot of my husband, actually.  On the other hand you have your angsty fighters ... guys who you'd never let into your world in real life but who are safe to fall for in books.  Travis from Beautiful Disaster comes to mind. Boy, did he cause a lot of fuss in the reader world!  Chemistry comes in all kinds of packages, which is awesome, but the chemistry has to be there or the book falls flat for me.



Elle Casey is a full-time writer of New Adult and Young Adult titles in several genres, including romance, urban fantasy, sci-fi dystopian, and action-adventure. She's an American girl who's been living in southern France with her husband and three children since 2010. She loves chatting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.




The Give@way!


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mercoledì 26 giugno 2013

WWW & Wishlist Wednesday #8

Meme hosted @ Pen To Paper Blog
Obsidian 
Lux series #1

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.



Why do I want to read this book? Simply because everyone seems to love it and I definitely want to know what everyone has been talking about! I also have Half-Blood and Pure from the same author but I still hadn't got a chance to read them - guess I could start with those, couldn't I?



To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading The Year Of The Great Seventh by Teresa Orts, that she kindly sent to me a couple of months ago, for review. The book seems quite interesting even if there are some details that don't convince me that much.. but well, I am still at page 100 so, I am just hoping it will surprise me!

What did you recently finish reading?
As I said in the last WWW my last read was Looking for Alaska by John Green, a very fascinating book that I really liked for the author's style but not quite for the story itself - I really hope to write my review soon!
What do you think you'll read next?
Red by Kerstin Gier, not sure if this is going to be my cup of tea but I heard that the movie is about to be released and I definitely want to read the book first, in any case.

martedì 25 giugno 2013

Teaser Tuesday #5: The Year of The Great Seventh by Teresa Orts

Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

The Year Of The Great Seventh - Teresa Orts

"A wave of sadness invaded my body, as I knew the moment I left this place, I would
leave a part of me behind. The part that belonged to Nate. One of those parts that you 
end up searching for the rest of your life."

The Year Of The Great Seventh is quite an interesting read, even if I read just the first 100 pages - I am so slow, I know, but I am working hard- the story seems quite fascinating, especially because it is set in LA and I really can't understand where the story is going... we will see! My review is scheduled to be post on July 6th!

domenica 23 giugno 2013

Showcase Sunday #22

Weekly meme hosted @ Books Biscuits and Tea

Good evening peeps! *yawns* Can you believe I just got out of bed?! But don't get me wrong, this morning I woke up at 6am to go to work and I just took a "little" nap as soon as I got home! This week has been a full one, I am finally starting to work and I just got my first employment contract - even if it lasts only for two months, because after I need to start school, again. But it's already something, isn't it?
Speaking of books, this week I just bought two books at the usual bookshop I always talk you about - the one that sells used books - and I found two awesome titles. Some of you may have heard that I loved the Hypnotist by Lars Kepler and, can you believe that I found the third book in the Joona Linna series? I thought it was a sign of destiny because I can swear that this book wasn't there the morning I looked at the shop windows and then, that afternoon, when my friend asked me to bring her there, it was there.. Just great! 
The other title I bought is from Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl, the second book in the Tudor Court series - I had already bought the first book last week, do you remember? 
The other two titles I got are from my local library, Looking for Alaska by John Green and Red by Kerstin Gier.

And that's all for this week! Link me up your showcase!




venerdì 21 giugno 2013

Feature and Follow #7 Favourite quotes!


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.



The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs! 


How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! 

Today's question

Favorite Literary Quotes?

This is SO hard because I have plenty of favourite quotes and they are not briefs neither!! Let's see, I will write down some of my favourite quotes from the books I read recently:

Looking for Alaska by John Green:
*You may not want to read this if you haven't read the book because they contain some spoilers*

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” 

"So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane.” 

“Francois Rabelais. He was a poet. And his last words were "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps.” 

“You can't just make me different, and then leave. Because I was fine before, Alaska. I was just fine with me and last words and school friends, and you can't just make me different and then die.”

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

“I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul...Since I knew you, I have been troubled by a remorse that I thought would never reproach me again, and have heard whispers from old voices impelling me upward, that I thought were silent for ever. I have had unformed ideas of striving afresh, beginning anew, shaking off sloth and sensuality, and fighting out the abandoned fight. A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.” 

The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

“You are not the last dream of my soul.

You are the first dream, the only dream I ever was unable to stop myself from dreaming. You are the first dream of my soul, and from that dream I hope will come all other dreams, a lifetime’s worth."

“Memories did one no good, not when one knew the truth in the present. Will was beautiful, but he was not hers; he was anybody's. Something in him was broken, and trough that break spilled a blind cruelty, a need to hurt and to push away.” 

PLEASE FOLLOW THROUGH BLOGLOVIN OR EMAIL SINCE GFC IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN

mercoledì 19 giugno 2013

WWW and Wishlist Wednesday #7

Meme hosted @ Pen To Paper Blog

The Nightmare
by Lars Kepler (Joona Linna #2)
GoodReads

"Kepler provides a master class in noir."—The Boston Globe


A drowned young woman is discovered on an abandoned pleasure boat drifting by the Stockholm archipelago---strangely, her clothes are dry. The next day in Stockholm, a man turns up dead, hanging from a lamp hook inside his completely bare apartment---but how could he have hung himself with no furniture to climb upon? As Detective Inspector Joona Linna begins to piece together the two mysteries, he discovers that they are a mere prelude to a dizzying and dangerous course of events. From the internationally bestselling author of The Hypnotist comes The Nightmare, another spellbinding tale of Nordic crime.


Well, do I really have to explain why I do absolutely need this one? Because the Hypnotist was brilliant, breath taking, completely amazing! As you may understand, I loved every second of it and I can't wait to share with you my thoughts about it! Lucky me, the other day - I think this is a sign of destiny - I found the third book in the Joona Linna series in my favourite bookshop and.. for HALF THE PRIZE, since it was used. Now I just need the book in the middle, The Nightmare, even if the books can be read separately. I can't wait to go on with the series, just trust me, these books are so great - at least the first one was - so if you have a chance to read them, don't hesitate! You won't regret it!


To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


What are you currently reading?
Looking for Alaska by John Green, I have always heard great things about this author, and in a reading group I'm in, they are constantly talking about him! So, I decided to pick this one up from the local library, and certainly on my to-read-next list there is also The Fault In Our Stars, which I am totally dying to read!




What did you recently finish reading?

True by Erin McCarthy, stay tuned to read my review in the next few days!
It was actually an easy read,  a simple and a little  stereotypical story about a nerdy girl who falls in love with the bad-ass boy. Nevertheless I have to say that the author's style was quite entertaining and flowing so I didn't find it annoying at all! And you know what? I think I will be also reading her next novel with the same characters of True, Jessica and Riley.



What do you think you’ll read next?

The Year of The Great Seventh by Teresa Orts, who I would like to send a great THANK YOU! Yes, she offered to send me a copy of her book for review, and I know how much shipping toward Italy might cost so thank you Teresa! I should be posting my review on July 6th so, I think I'm gonna start this one next, just to be prepared. The cover looks gorgeous, doesn't it?

martedì 18 giugno 2013

Review: And All The Stars by Andrea K. Höst

And All The Stars
AuthorAndrea K. Höst
Published: 30th September 2012
Publisher: Selfpublished
Format: eGalley
Number of Pages: 296
Source: Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon, Smashwords, TBD

From Goodreads
Come for the apocalypse. Stay for cupcakes. Die for love. Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings. None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world - and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind. Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.

My Review

And all the stars was a mix between a dystopian and a sci-fi with a not so eventful plot but with interesting characters and an original base idea.


Personally this was probably one of the first books I read about "aliens" (if I can really consider the invaders like aliens!) and I don't know if this is actually a theme that interests me enough or not. Speaking of this book in particular, I have mixed feelings for it, because it didn't really caught me up, even if I noticed some good aspects that had not been amplified enough.

First of all I think that one of the good aspect of this book were probably the characters, they were all different and special for some way and together they formed and invincible team, to face up the disaster they were forced to live in. While I thought their relationship was quite lovely, I thought also that it was totally inappropriate for the context, because their world had just been invaded by strange creatures and they still liked to do normal things like playing or partying. Surely, they needed something to hold on to not to freak out but seriously, it felt unreal because that would probably not be the way a group of teenagers would confront an apocalyptic situation like the one they were living.

I particulary liked Madeline, even if her character and her history is not particulary deepened but I really loved how introverted and quite she was, and how she poured out all her emotions in art. Also, I loved her relationship with Fisher, but above all with Théoden (you will understand the difference only after having read the book!) because they were totally different people and despite this, they fell in love.. which is not someting particulary original, infact, but I did love how the author described their relationship. They didn't talk much, they shared their thoughts with gestures, drawings and I found it brilliant, thoughtful.

Probably one of the greatest problem I had while reading this book was the author's style, which is totally subjective so I am just giving my own personal opinion. I really found some difficulties sometimes in understanding what the author wanted to say, especially at the beginning and when he explained the intentions and the hierarchy of the invaders, that could be influenced, being sincere, by the fact that I am not mother tongue and perhaps I didn't understand much the syntax.  Despite this, I also think that in general the author's style is a little confusing especially because he used a lot of adjectives , that I  sometimes completely lost the sence of some sentences. Moreover, I didn't find it as flowing as other books I have read and sometimes I just didn't want to go on.

Overall
And all the Stars is a fantasy read that in my opinion has some great potentials that have not been sufficiently exploited. 

Rated 3.0


Favourite quotes:

"I had constant nightmares about the data I was accumulating, this logic puzzle of life and death written in permanent ink, with no option to erase it all and start over. I will never forget the faces of those in the groups were treatment clearly wasn't helping. Never. But the knowledge that that was just the first wave, those exposed in the first hours, drove me on. Doing nothing was the worst option."

"Fight. Always fight. No matter how impossible the odds, no matter who you've lost. how you've been hurt. If there doesn't seem to be a way out, look for one. If you seem to have come to an end, start afresh. Never, ever give up.

"I would have gone about my life and not thought I was missing anything. You would have - you would have painted obsessively, all those transformative images and I would be someone unimagined and unknown, and I cannot decide whether it would be trite to call that a tragedy or if I should resent you for making this - all this death- somehow bearable, tolerable for the tenuous joy I have gained. You steal my anger and leave me dazed."

lunedì 17 giugno 2013

Announcing the Blogoversary Celebration Winners!


It's almost two days since all giveaways of the celebration have finished so..
it's really time to announce some winners!! First of all I would like to thank
all those who have entered but especially the authors that have sponsored the 
giveaways. A great THANK YOU to:

Megan Thomason
Laura DeLuca
Sharon Sant
Stephanie Judice
Suzy Turner
Jessica Brooks
Stephanie Wardrop
Jaimie Admans 
Jack Croxall


And now, the WINNERS!

Winners of the Daynight Giveaway by Megan Thomason:
Kelly F.
DeeDee G.

Winner of the Destiny series by Laura DeLuca:
Ali A.

Winner of the eSet of The Sky Song Trilogy by Sharon Sant:
Diana D.

Winner of eBooks of Rising and Resistance by Stephanie Judice:
Natasha D.

Winners of the Morgan Sisters series giveaway by Suzy Turner:
Natasha D.
Elisabeth W.

Winners of the Pity Isn't An Option giveaway by Jessica Brooks:
Kenia
Crystal F.

Winners of the Snark and Circumstance series giveaway by Stephanie Wardrop:
Sarika P.
Mary P.
Natasha D.
Crystal F

Winner of the Kismetology and Afterlife Academy giveaway by Jaimie Admans:
Daniela

Winner of the Tethers giveaway by Jack Croxall:
Myra W.





All winners have already been contacted through emails, and they have 48 hours to answer, or another winner will be picked. The images used in this post are not my own, I found them using Google.

The celebration has been a great event that really made me grow as a blogger so THANK YOU! I am looking forward to organise more events like this so.. stay tuned!


giovedì 13 giugno 2013

eARC Review : Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin

Lie Still
Author: Julia Heaberlin
Expected publication: July 2nd 2013
Publisher: Bantam
Format: eARC
Number of Pages: 315
Source: Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon || TBD || B&N

From Goodreads
When Emily Page and her husband move from Manhattan to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape her haunted past—and outrun the nameless stalker who has been taunting her for years. Pregnant with her first child, Emily just wants to start over. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women—and into the unnerving company of their queen, Caroline Warwick—Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game.
 
It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily’s terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide—and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her.


My review

Lie Still is a gripping mystery that will drag you through the lies and secrets of the cheeky girls of  Texas, Clairmont a wealthy town in which the most rich women formed an inpenetrable circle of mysteries and betrayals.


When I first saw the cover of Lie Still I was really interested in it and - yes, yes, my shame- I have to tell you that I requested a copy without even considering the synopsis. So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that Lie Still wasn't exactly an easy read, it was a thriller full of tension that kept me glued to its pages until the end. 

Probably because I didn't read the synopsis before, I was a little confused at the beginning because I couldn't find a connection between the two main themes of the book: Emily's past and Caroline's case. I couldn't see where was the link between the protagonist's rape, happened years ago, and the disappearance of Caroline, the leader of the group that reunited all of Clairmont most rich women. For all the book I was tormented with the tension of what was coming and I was so afraid that Caroline's case could involve directly the protagonist, even if she couldn't actually be part of the killer's plans, because she had only just arrived in Texas! 

These were some of my thoughts while reading the book - you can bet, my head was a mess! - but all my doubts were then absolutely clarified and my questions found answers, by going ahead. Julia Heaberlin simply did a brilliant job in destabilize not only the protagonist but the reader too, my own anguish grew along with Emily's worries and I couldn't feel really satisfied until the very end! The tension and the mystery were so well developed that I got completely caught  up in the killer's web and the curiosity to know how the two stories were related, consumed me!

One of the aspect that increased the tension was definitely the fact that Emily, the protagonist, was pregnant - yes you heard well! This meant that she was more vulnerable than the others and as a consequence it was inevitable not to feel worried about her constantly.

Beyond the mystery, another aspect that really interested me was how so many powerful, rich, beautiful women found comfort and security in a complex character like Caroline, a woman who knew everything about anyone but that didn't give away much about her own life in the end. All the members of the circle had been threatened, more than once, and in any case they were always ready to share with Caroline all their deepest secrets. And what was the strangest thing of all, in my opinion, was that they all actually loved her, she was like a constant, naughty presence in their shabby lives that they adored to be considered by.

Overall
A must read for all Pretty Little Liars lovers, who like to read captivating thrillers with unexpected finales!

Rated 4.90!


Favourite quotes

Today is a good day.
Still, I want to shout at the woman running by in pink jogging shorts, and the one tying her little boy's shoe.
Tell your girls. Tell them, tell them, tell them.
Tell them to fight and scratch and yell his name. Tell them not te be ashamed. To break the necklace of women who've kept their rapis's secret because they know him. Grandmothers and mothers, daughters and sisters, aunts and bestfriends. Century after century, decade after decade, year after year. Heartbeat after heartbeat.


 
Images by Freepik