WHY I STOPPED BLOGGING

Hello lovelies ! As you probably have noticed if you’re still following my blog, I posted a book review yesterday after a year without posting anything.
Today I want to explain why. I don’t have to justify myself, I know but I want to explain.
One year ago I was struggling with balancing my life : work, crossfit and blogging. At some point, blogging and taking pictures for instagram felt as a burden, instead of a hobby as it used to be.
But here we are, one year later, and with the quarantine, I decided to take some book pictures that I started posting again. I also wrote my first review and yesterday I finally posted here.

So yeah, somehow I’m back. But I won’t post as much as I used to. I probably won’t post challenges, memes or TBR.

For now I’m happy to write back here and I hope it will stay that way !

Talk to you soon !
Flo

 

 

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| BOOK REVIEW | ACE OF SHADES BY AMANDA FOODY

Ace Of Shades
author : Amanda Foody
Series : The Shadow Game
Genres : Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication : April 10th 2018 by Harlequin Teen

Synopsis : Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

I absolutely adored this book ! I started this book with high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed at all !

Story

We follow Enne Salta, a proper young lady who gets herself lost into the city of sins, New Reynes. She came to look for her mother, who went missing. But a young woman, who has been pampered all her life, well wandering into this city can only be really dangerous. She finds herself in a bad situation and is “saved” somehow by a thug called Chez, who leads her to his gang boss, Levi.

Somehow, Levi decides to help her (well, skam her would be more true) and together they start to investigate about her mother.

She was a pistol wrapped up in silk. She was a blade disguised as a girl.

The plot picked up quickly and I’ve been swept by this story ! This book is mesmerizing, the story is amazing and I’ve really been impressed by the magic !
New Reynes can easily be compared to Las Vegas : the city of sins. That being said, I think the comparison can be stopped here.

So we follow our two main characters into this enigmatic chase, with Levi trying to save his ass and also providing for his gang.

About the world building, the author described it perfectly, with vivid colors and I could almost smell the street. That’s how effective her descriptions are !

I also enjoyed the talent part. Everyone has two talents : the main one, the strongest is your blood talent, while the second one is your split talent. It can be compared to magic in a way.

She was the girl who’d come afraid to the city that could smell your fear. She’d faced the witch. She’d poisoned the wolf. She’d strolled into the land of death with her head held high and left it a lord. She was an impossible player in a fixed game, the only person not playing to win.

The ending was so intense ! The scene with the shadow gale got me on the edge of my seat all along !
I can’t wait to read the sequel ! I just hope it will live up my expectations !

Characters

• Enne has changed so much ! She has grown throughout the book, her character growth is incredible ! She arrived as candid as a newborn and became such a cunning and badass woman. She learned so much about life in general and about her past, and who she is.
• Levi kind of stole my heart. He is a thug, leader of an infamous gang. But he seems so lonely ! Trapped by Vianca, he is far from being free.
  He also changed so much thanks to Enne.
• Vianca is definitively an awful character. She is an evil and cunning woman.
• Lola is another interesting character. But I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil.

Sometimes we’re not who we want to be because we’re supposed to be something else.

Overall I really loved this book !

About the author

Amanda Foody has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. After spending her childhood longing to attend Hogwarts, she now loves to write about immersive settings and characters grappling with insurmountable destinies. Currently, she works as a tax accountant in Philadelphia, PA, surrounded by her many siblings and many books.

| BOOKSTAGRAM | THE ALGORITHM

 

Hello lovelies ! It has been a VERY long time since I posted about bookstagram aside posting my pictures.
But today I want to talk about something that has been really bothering and the whole bookstagram community.

I don’t remember when exactly but somewhere around two years ago, Instagram decided to change its algorithm. Instead of showing the posts by posting hours, it shows you posts that you’re most likely to interact with. Which means that smaller accounts are less likely to appear into your feed. But let’s be clear : everyone has been suffering from this algorithm. Small accounts as b  igger ones. All have witnessed a huge drop of likes, comments. And everyone has been losing followers.

I’m not gonna deny it, seeing a post barely reaching 50 likes while you put so much work and heart into it, well… It’s not really motivating. Not at all. I thought a lot about stoping my bookstagram account. But I really enjoy taking shots of my books so for now I’m staying.

 

 

| BOOK HAUL | MY DECEMBER 2018 BOOK HAUL

Hello lovelies ! I can’t believe it’s already the last book haul of the year ! I hope you all have been spoiled for Christmas, and got promising books !

• Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I’ve been wanting to read this book for so long !
• Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake.
• The Dark Vault by Victoria Schwab. So I can add it to my Schwab’s collection.
• Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, the collector edition because I’m weak and the book is gorgeous !

That’s it ! Which books did you get this month ?

Merry Christmas !!!

MY TOP 7 READS FOR 2018

Hello lovelies ! it has been a while since I posted here but I’ve been both too busy and tired ! Anyway, here I am with my favorites read for this year. I couldn’t narrow it to only 5 books though !

In no particular order :

• Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor. I read it during last Winter and really enjoyed it !! It’s so original and gripping ! You can read my review here.
• Muse Of Nightmares which is Strange The Dreamer’s sequel. Beautiful, there’s no other word to describe it.
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. My first read of one of her books and trulyit didn’t disappoint !! Twisted, addicting and fast paced ! My review here.
• Ace Of Shades by Amanda Foody. That one I haven’t finished yet but I’m loving it so far and I know the story will stay with me for a while !
• Keepers Of The Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger. A must read !
• Grace And Fury by Tracy Banghart is book you must read if you want a feminist and badass main character. You can read my review here.
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline for its uniqueness. The beginning was slow but I ended up loving it nonetheless ! My review.

That’s it ! Which books you’ve read this year made it to your top ?

| BOOK HAUL | MY SEPTEMBER 2018

Hello lovelies ! How is your week end so far ? Today I’m gonna talk about my September book haul. I’ve been reasonable since I only bought two books !

• The Witcher #1 The Last Wish in French (Le Sorceleur #1, Le Dernier Voeu) by Andrzej Sapkowski.
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

That’s it ! Have you read any of these ?

| BOOK REVIEW | THE DARKEST MINDS BY ALEXANDRA BRACKEN

The Darkest Minds
Author : Alexandra Bracken
Series : The Darkest Minds
Genres : Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publication : December 18th 2012 by Disney Hyperion

Synopsis : When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

I must admit, I started this book with somehow low expectations, even though I don’t know why. Well… Why have I waited that long to read this book ?!

The Darkest Minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.

Plot

The beginning gives us the pace. We’re in a dystopia where children who survived a deadly disease called IAAN are gifted (or cursed ?) with strange abilities. Think X-men. We don’t get to know how this disease emerged and I wished we knew more. Maybe in the next books.

In Thurmond, a children camp, kids become colors. Blue, Yellow, Green, Red, Orange. The color system is a code to identify their powers. I found it vry clever, really ! I must say, the universe Alexandra Bracken created is really amazing and so interesting !

Another thing I enjoyed is how the characters felt real and relatable.  At the beginning, Ruby is so fragile and afraid of herself, it’s very touching.

This book is fast paced and full of plot twists. I guessed one of them but that didn’t bother me.
And let’s not forget that ending !! It broke my heart.

I think maybe the most frustrating feeling in the world is to have something to say but not know how to put it into words. To have lived through something but not be able to get it out of you before it festers.

Characters

• Ruby is such an amazing main character. From fragile to strong minded and a kick ass lead, she is incredible. Her story is really touching !
• Liam is so brave and heart-warming ! He is such a sunshine ! He wants to protect his friends no matter what.
• Chubs is such a difficult character to understand. I mean, it’s very difficult to pierce his shield.
• Zu is such a cutie, impossible not to love her.

Together, they want to reach a sort of Eldorado for children. And it’s not exactly how they imagined it.

To put it in a nutshell, if you like dystopian books, X-men and fast paced books, you need to read it !

About the author

Alexandra Bracken was born in Phoenix, Arizona. The daughter of a Star Wars collector, she grew up going to an endless string of Star Wars conventions and toy fairs, which helped spark her imagination and a deep love of reading. After graduating high school, she attended The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where she double majored in English and History. She sold her first book, Brightly Woven, as a senior in college, and later moved to New York City to work in children’s book publishing, first as an editorial assistant, then in marketing. After six years, she took the plunge and decided to write full time. She now lives in Arizona with her tiny pup, Tennyson, in a house that’s constantly overflowing with books.

Alex is a #1 New York Times bestselling and USA TODAY bestselling author. Her work is available across the world in over 15 languages.

 

| BOOKSTAGRAM | AUGUST 2018

Hello lovelies ! Today I’m gonna share some bookstagram pictures I took during August ! I’m pretty happy with my bookstagram even though I keep losing followers (thanks to the algorithm…)

That’s it ! I hope you like it ! If you own a bookstagram account, please let me know in the comments !

 

| MEMES | THIS WEEK IN BOOKS #63

Hello lovelies ! I hope you’re all having a great week !! In case you’ve been living under a rock or have just found my blog, TWIB is a weekly meme hosted by Lipsyy Lost & Found.

I am currently reading The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I’m only a few chapters in but I’m enjoying it so far. Even though I must admit it, I’m craving Fantasy at the moment.

Last week I was reading Keepers Of The Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger and I loved it ! I need to buy the sequel !

Next, I plan on reading Champion by Marie Lu so I can finish this trilogy !

That’s it ! What are you currently reading ?