WWW Wednesdays #183 – August 15th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’m close to finishing Ink And Bone by Rachel Caine, a series I’ve been wanting to start for ages and since it worked perfectly for the Magical Readathon I’m finally doing so. I’m not as impressed as I thought it would be though… The idea behind the story is interesting, but I’m just not feeling it. I’m also currently reading The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie… I thought it was about time I read her first book, and it fits a bunch of challenge prompts as well, so that’s a huge bonus. And I’m still reading Rivers Of London by Ben Aaronovitch as well, which I’m really enjoying so far. And I love LOVE the cover art. ❤

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

1. Harry Potter Y El Prisionero De Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (4,5/5 stars) NO REVIEW
I always love rereading Harry Potter, and book number three is one of my favorites of the bunch. I started my reread in Spanish some time ago and The Prisoner Of Azkaban was up next; it fitted one of the prompts for the Magical Readathon perfectly so it was an easy choice. It was so great rereading this one again! It’s always great rediscovering little details I had completely forgotten about.

2. The Tango War by Mary Jo McConahay (3,5/5 stars) REVIEW 
If you enjoy reading non fiction historical texts and have an interest in the Second World War, The Tango War will without doubt interest you. It’s not the fastest read of the world and the essay-like chapters might slow you down, but this book shines the light upon a wide variety of topics related to the role of Latin America during the war. Would I have liked to see a more neutral point of view instead of a clearly US influenced perspective? Maybe. Would I have liked to see more of Latin America itself? Probably. But there is no doubt The Tango War is still a little goldmine of information.

3. Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW 19/08
After Ali mentioned this book in one of her posts, I had no other choice but to stop procrastinating and start reading Every Heart A Doorway. I’ve been wanting to read this story ever since I first heard about it, and it looks like first impressions sometimes really hit the right spot. What a wonderful wonderful read! My only complaint would be that I wish the story would have been longer, because there is so much to love and only a limited amount of pages to do so.

4. The 7 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (5/5 stars) REVIEW 17/08
This was a buddy read with Nicki @ Secret Library… We’ve been taking things slow as to fully savour this little masterpiece. WHAT A BOOK!! Claiming that The 7 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle is absolutely brilliant and a true masterpiece might just be an understatement… I’m not sure how to properly describe my feelings for this book other than the phrase ‘just read the damn book‘, because that actually seems like the right thing to say here. Yes, this debut is THAT good, as you might have guessed from all the other (and most definitely more proper) reviews out there… What are you waiting for? My only complaint would be that this book might have ruined any future books of the same genre for me… How on earth can they still be satisfying after The 7 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle has raised the bar that high?

5. The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang (4/5 stars) REVIEW 20/08
If you are looking for something different to read, don’t mind disturbing the dead and enjoy a well developed historical setting and a strong main character, The Impossible Girl is just the book for you. The perfect balance of a strong historical setting, a dose of creepy, a mystery, some violence and romance makes this story work like a charm. It was interesting to see the story and the characters evolve and I had a great time reading this one.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I’m trying to read the books for the Magical Readathon in time, so I need to pick up Uprooted by Naomi Novik ASAP (I don’t care about Divination, so I’m probably not picking up that title). I also need to read the ARC Truth And Lies by Caroline Mitchell and The Confession by Jo Spain some time soon since the publish date is coming up. My newest TBR jar pick is still An Officer And A Spy by Robert Harris.

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BOOK REVIEW: Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban – by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
(Harry Potter Series #3)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Genre: YA, Fantasy
First published: July 8th 1999
Finished reading: September 25th 2014
Pages: 317

“Besides, the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters. We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”

Some know already that I’m currently rereading the seven books of the Harry Potter series. Book number three, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, is one of my favorites and marks the beginning of a growingly dangerous wizard world where Voldemort is about to rise again. Growing up along with Harry and his friends the first time I read these books, I could really appreciate the books becoming darker over the years… And it makes sense as Harry is growing up as well. J.K. Rowling did an excelent job with this third book, and is able to tell us a both terrifying and magical story in only threehundred pages. Lupin is probably one of my favorite Defense Against The Dark Arts teachers, and I remember being glad J.K. Rowling decided to use him again in later books. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban is, like the previous books, a definite must read for anyone who enjoys reading YA fantasy and won’t disappoint. It’s just magical!

WARNING: Spoilers! Please don’t read this summary if you haven’t read the previous books yet...

Just as Harry thinks his summer with the Dursleys cannot get worse, his aunt decides to stay at her brother’s house. She despises Harry and uses every opportunity to criticize and humiliate him. Harry tries to be patient as he cannot use magic in presence of Muggles, but enough is enough and he ends up accidently blowing up his aunt. Fleeing the Dursley house, he gets picked up by a very special bus and when he arrives at The Leaky Cauldron they are waiting for him. But he doesn’t get expelled as he was expecting; they actually seem very glad to see him alive. A dangerous murderer has escaped the wizard prison of Azkaban and is currently on the loose… And what Harry doesn’t know, is that the same wizard named Sirius Black is looking for him.

Everybody seems to be concerned about Harry’s safety but Harry himself. They don’t let him go anywhere alone and this doesn’t stop when they arrive at Hogwarts. They fear Black will attempt to enter Hogwarts and attack him. Dumbledore has agreed to have the Azkaban prison guards, creatures named Dementors, at the gates of Hogwarts to prevent this. They don’t seem to obey all the rules though and approach the students various times. The Dementors have a terrible effect on Harry. Every time they are close, he hears the last moments of his parents’ life… And he faints. Black is spotted close to Hogwarts, and then he managed to enter the school and attack the portrait that guards the entrance of the Griffindor common room. New security measures are taken, and Harry is trying to weapon himself against the Dementors with the help of professor Lupin. Then one night the horrible truth comes out and Harry starts seeing the past events in a whole new light…

Poor Harry doesn’t get a break, does he? Surviving Voldemort three times already (twice in the first two years at Hogwarts), you think he deserved a nice and quiet third year. But no, this time a dangerous criminal is trying to kill him and people turn out to be different than who they seemed to be. I loved the final scenes and I wish I could have a watch like Hermione’s… A great reread and definitely worth reading if you haven’t already!

WWW Wednesdays #11 – September 24th

Originally featured at Should Be Reading… WWW WEDNESDAYS is all about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

I’m about to finish Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling and I’ve started reading Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King as well. The third HP book is of course a reread, and I can tell you it’s great to step back into the wizard world and read about the adventures of the boy who lived! I’m loving every second of it. Stephen King is one of my preferred horror/thriller genre authors, and until now he delivers with Mr. Mercedes.

• What did you recently finish reading?

I finished The Dance Of The Spirits yesterday, and I have yet to write a full review. What I can say for now is that Catherine Aerie really managed to dazzle me with her story about lost love set during the Korean war. Its historical facts mixed with fiction form a perfect balance. It makes this novel a highly enjoyable read and just what I needed to take a break from all those YA dystopian novels I’ve been reading lately.

 

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Either Divine Fall by Kathryn Knight (ARC) or Black Roses by Jane Thynne depending on my mood. It’s either reading yet another YA fantasy story or an historical fiction novel set in Hitler’s Germany of the thirties… I’m placing my bets on Black Roses for now.

WWW Wednesdays #10 – September 17th

Originally featured at Should Be Reading… WWW WEDNESDAYS is all about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare, the first book in The Mortal Instruments series. It’s a book that has been on my list for a while, and I finally came around reading it. I’m not far enough into the story yet to give a proper opinion, but until now I’m positive.

 

 

• What did you recently finish reading?

I have recently finished both My Soul Immortal by Jen Printy (an ARC and the first book in the Fated Eternals series) & The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (first book in the Cormoran Strike series). Full reviews of both books have already been posted…

 

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m not sure what I will read next… I should read the third Harry Potter: The Prisoner Of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling along with The Not A Book Club Club at Goodreads. I also want to read Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King… I’m in need of a creepy horror story. 😀