This is an anthology containing short stories from all around the world, which were submitted through a contest and only the best ones got featured on this book.
I found that concept interesting enough.

I have never read anything by these authors before which made me even more curious. 
each author had a different genre and a different timeline that he wanted to present his story in, which made this book very diverse and entertaining, after every few pages you jump into something completely different without knowing what to expect.

The writing was very good, even though each author had his own writing style it's undeniable they all did great, I mean they did just win a writing competition you know. 

I'm not going to review every story like most reviewers choose to do in the cases of anthologies, But i prefer choosing my favorite ones and talking about them,

A Tale Of a Mouse by Andy Hamilton : This one is the best one for me, it's also the first prize winner which isn't surprising because of how great the story is,

It's about the life of Gus the mouse and his family inside the house ofCinderella, except in this story Cinderella is evil and controlling, everyone fears her and her violent behavior, her stepmother and step sisters are actually nice in this story.
I loved it because it was kind of a fairytale retelling but with a twist, 

I have never read any retelling with an evil Cinderella, I would love to read more of this
How amazing would it be to have a book about an evil Cinderellawhere she is the one abusing the stepmom and stepsisters?!

Everything Must Go by Sandra Kirley : It's about a woman dealing with the grief of losing her husband and trying to overcome her mind trick,
I loved the writing, the author managed to capture my attention without having any particular action happening, It broke my heart and just swallowed me into her world.

Your Lifejacket is Under Your Seat by Emma J Myatt : The story is about a woman in a very abusive messed up relationship where she can't escape, the writing is beautiful, I loved the transition between her thoughts and reality, and in just few pages it was an emotional journey .


Creatures of myth - The story of Jared MacKay : A story about the last warlock from a cult, it's packed with magic and adventures, the world building is brilliant, the story has all the great elements for a great book series.

Mirella by Tifanny Williams: a story about a prince and a particular mermaid, I LOVED the writing here, hands down one of my favorites, I absolutely love fairytales and folklore stories , so this story was very enjoyable for me, i really liked it.

Memoirs about a Girl by Liam Lennon : The title is very self explanatory, A young girl finding her self is something we can all relate to, it was interesting and very heart warming, it was just too cute of a story, it's quite surprising and impressive when an author can make characters with so much depth in just few pages.


Those are the ones that stood out to me and i felt the need to talk about them, but i really enjoyed many others. And it is so hard to compare them because all these authors are talented yet all these stories were so different.

I had so much fun reading this, I would love reading more from particular authors in here.

1 DEAD PRIEST
52 MISSING PAINTINGS
5 MILLION DOLLARS 

The devoted Holy Father, Richard Mikutavic comes face to face with his passion for antique collectables when local
criminals become interested in his possessions. 

The details of the investigation that followed THE CRIME THAT SHOCKED THE COUNTRY were later introduced into the FBI’s Art Crime Division officer training program.

DISCOVER WHO WAS THE ACTUAL CRIMINAL ALL ALONG

My review:

This book is a true story recalling the events of the tragic fate that father 
Ričardas Mikutavičius welcomed. he was killed and many of his paintings were
stolen, some are till missing to this day.



I liked the light approach of the story at the beginning, it had such a light atmosphere that you feel like you're reading something 100% out of fiction

The characters had a very realistic tone which i appreciated, because personally
i don't enjoy the over dramatic effects.

Before the robbery the events were slow and calm but after it things picked 
up very quickly 

It was fun seeing the investigation unfold and seeing how the police
officers dealt with the evidence, but i found the criminal's behavior more interesting, 
seeing how they lie and twist the true events to serve their benefits.

"This was a silly mistake.now Beleck knew,he was a person of interest
in father richard's case. and he would do anything to get his ass cleared,
anything "

I always loved Karolina's writing because of it's simplicity
and it always goes straight to the point 
which makes reading her stories a quick process and never boring.

I would recommend this for people who are interested in anthropological criminology, because the story isn't very heavy yet still interesting. 

It’s been a year since Billie Flanagan—a beautiful, charismatic Berkeley mom with an enviable life—went on a solo hike in Desolation Wilderness and vanished from the trail.

No body—only a hiking boot—has ever been found. Billie’s husband and teenage daughter cope with her death the best they can: Jonathan drinks, Olive grows remote.

But then Olive starts having waking dreams—or are they hallucinations?—that her mother is still alive. Jonathan worries about Olive’s emotional stability, until he starts unearthing secrets from Billie’s past that bring into question everything he thought he knew about his wife. Together, Olive and Jonathan embark on a quest for the truth—about Billie, their family, and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love.

The story is about a family dealing with the disappearance of the mother ” Billie”, she had a wild eventful past and everyone loves her and worships her, but one day she goes hiking and never comes back, which leaves her husband and daughter trying to make peace with what happened, did she die and they have to move on? or, did she disappear and they need to find her?

Get the book : Amazon

My Review : 

The story is about a family dealing with the disappearance of the mother ” Billie”, she had a wild eventful past and everyone loves her and worships her, but one day she goes hiking and never comes back, which leaves her husband and daughter trying to make peace with what happened, did she die and they have to move on? or, did she disappear and they need to find her?

This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Thoughts: 

❃ I loved the writing in this book, It’s beautiful and made me like the story from the first few pages,

At first, the story was heartwarming and sweet, then it took a mysterious turn
It wasn’t thrilling or scary but very suspenseful and made me question the characters and the lives they had.

❃ The characters were great, i loved some and hated others,I admired ” Billie” at certain times but hated her selfishness at some points as well , I was invested in the father and daughter’s lives and feelings more, I really appreciate it when a book can do that, I also admired the relationship between them, you could feel the love they had for each other

But as the story goes on, you start to find out some not so pretty things about certain characters, Lies start to unfold, doubt and accusations start to take place over the good memories.

❃ The plot: I’m not sure how i feel about it, The events in this story didn’t start picking up until about 70% of the book, it was a bit slow paced for my liking but i was okay with it because I was waiting for the big reveal, i had high hopes for a mind blowing twist that would leave me gasping, which didn’t happen here, The actual reveal is good, I did enjoy it, but it left me a bit disappointed, It wasn’t something unexpected, and I didn’t get all the explanations i was waiting for .

The reason I’m giving this book 4 stars is because of the beautiful writing and the idea behind it, Do we really know the people we love as much as we think we do?

I loved that idea, and i enjoyed how it was represented in Billie and Jonathan.

“Maybe this is why they say love is blind : who you want people to be makes you blind to who they really are”

“I was marrying a woman who didn’t want to be known by anyone – not even me “

By: Karolina Robinson

Publication Date: November 21st 2016

Format:  Paperback

Pages: 256

Blurb:

“This story has haunted me all of my life, through the daily flashbacks and nightmares.
It has taken me some time to build up the courage to let this story out of my heart.And now, with every single word I can live free. Finally.”

– Karolina –

In this book we follow the true story of Karolina ( the author herself) , as a brave young girl in Lithuania and her mother in their journey to escape her abusive father , in hopes of building a new life , only to fall down in a toxic one , full of mental and physical abuse, because of her mother’s new boyfriend then husband Tom …
a story of gangsters , abuse , struggle , but mostly hope .

Get the book : Amazon

My Review:

” After all those years of pain and fear, after all those years living with anger and hate, there was light ,
The light was right within me”

This sentence alone is enough to tell you what kind of person Karolina is , a ray of light in a dark twisted world , my heart ached for her throughout this story and prayed for her , by the end of the book and after each page turned , my admiration for her grew , a kind person and a strong spirit . and now as an amazing author who wrote

such a wonderful book i have that much more respect for her .

Some of the people who took part in this story made my blood boil , from the abusive dad , to Tom . The mother too , yet i was able to like her by the end of the story . but it truly makes you wonder how such people live with themselves . abuse is a daily thing in some people’s lives all around the world , physical and mental , whether it’s against men , women or kids doesn’t change how disgusting it is , my heart and thoughts goes to the victims .

Yet there are others who restored my hope in humanity , Cross , who was an amazing person and good to Karolina , The teachers in her new school ….
Karolina and her love for her mother and life is inspirational .

The writing style is very simple and easy to dive into , i was able to finish this book in one sitting ,

knowing these events are true made the process of reading this that much more intense and enabled me to put it down , even after i finished it it stayed with me .

I’m starting to feel like i rambled a lot , but there is so much i want to talk about ! yet i don’t want to spoil all of the events . I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys interesting , easy reads with intense events.

and i would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book .

.

My Review:

OMG , I DONT HAVE ANY WORDS
This is my favorite book by CoHo so far .

“When you find love, you take it. You grab it with both hands and you do everything in your power not to let it go. You can’t just walk away from it and expect it to linger until you’re ready for it.”

I’m usually not a big fan of Romance novels , and i especially HATE Insta-love , but Colleen’s books are an exception most of the time , and this one was definitely the best i read in a while.

I liked the characters , Fallon is my favorite , her story is interesting . Ben , he was amazing most of the book , but after the revelation i really don’t know how to feel about him , i also found his love letters a bit cheesy and uncomfortable .

AND WAIT! Ian ,Tate and Miles from Ugly love are in this book?? WHAAT ! so

everything is linked ? every even in this book to every character by COLLEEN??

But i also think everything i liked and disliked served the story right , as i mentioned before , i rarely read the book description so everything was a huge surprise for me , i had fun watching the events unfold , and after they made the agreement i knew i was hooked

and just when i started thinking everything was fine , a new thing comes up and guts me ! then it get fixed and i assume this is the ending , then BAM , colleen hits me with another blow , each one harder than the other . Damn this plot was strong !

i just didn’t know what to expect anymore , i didn’t see any move coming .

I freaking cried ! and maybe died and came back to life , who knows ! the shock value is strong in this one

i’m not saying this is the best story written , nor the best romance book out there . BUT

IT WAS SO FUN TO READ ! I FINISHED IT IN TWO DAYS . i really couldn’t put it down.

I really don’t know what to say even though i’m sure i talked too much , but you should read this if you like being surprised and hurt and gutted and killed then revived just so you can endure it ALL OVER AGAIN

Damn Colleen this was a roller coaster ride . one minute i’m swooning about the cute love story and the other i’m crying and screaming about the betrayal

what i’m saying doesn’t make any sense ? yes , yes perhaps , but blame Colleen for it ( TATE AND MILES ARE IN THIS BOOK )

By: Haidji

Publisher: Createspace

Publication Date: October 22nd 2016

Format:  Paperback

Pages: 200

Haidji, author of SG Suicide Game, Life into Mist, Fancy & Adriaan, Harables – Short Stories 1 and Ines’ Words now brings us Harables – Short Stories 2,

with fifteen new stories. Each story showcases Haidji’s unique voice and imagery,

including “The Gondola Walker,” “Lob’s Castle,” “The Blue Spot,” “Final Destination” and “Candles.” True to Haidji’s form, this book is beautiful and magical.

You’ll want to read each story more than once, to uncover all Haidji’s meanings.

Entering Haidji’s world, you will find hope, love and wonderful mysteries

Get the book : Amazon

My Review:

As i said before , Haidji has a very special way with words . You feel the warmth of the story .

All the stories here were so sweet, and they all had a lesson to be delivered at the end of each one :

” Life is just a class filled with different kids doing the same or different things “

“No matter how good you are, How amazing your work is : if you don’t value what you do , asking the right price for it , no one else will do it.”

“Because sometimes , paradise can be there , close to you , every morning , inside your cup of coffee, bringing you joy and happiness”

The same as “Fancy & Adriaan” .it’s very easy to go through and finish , i can picture myself reading it at the beach or in a nice garden under the sun .

It is overly a good book , it does not fall with my usual reads , yet i enjoyed it . i don’t think the genre matters when you like the story .

I would recommend it to people going through reading slumps and wanting to start with something light and easy to get into , or anyone who wants to take a break and read something sweet and different .

the reason why i give it 4 stars is because it was a great collection of interesting short stories ; and i didn’t struggle reading it nor get bored , we can all agree that that’s something important when it comes to books .

And i want to thank Haidji for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review .

By: Haidji

Publisher: Createspace

Publication Date: 2014

Format:  Paperback

Pages: 62

Do you believe in love?

Do you really Believe in love?

Fancy & Adriaan is a fairy tale; a real love story.

Fancy was born in a flower, in a distant world.

Adriaan was born over tree branches, in the same world.

As a fairy and as an elf, they lived their lives and their platonic love, in that world.
One day, Fancy decided to seek permission to go to the human world.
Will Fancy & Adriaan’s love survive?

My Review:

I received this book from a giveaway , and to be honest i didn’t expect it to be this good since i’m not usually a fan of love stories . BUT i actually enjoyed it.

I finished this in less than an hour i think , partly because it is short , but i was very fun to read.

Haidji managed to create a fairy tale story that can be read by all ages , it was just so CUTE , yet it held a realistic dimension , you can relate to the characters’ feelings and thoughts yet each reader would interpret them in their own way . it had a different meaning for me.

such a fun light read . i would recommend it if you were in a reading slump and needed something light to get you back up.

here are my favorite quotes :

“Adriaan thought what Fancy felt, and Fancy felt what Adriaan thought.”

“His thoughts rather than helping him , created more walls around him”

My Review:

By Lemony Snicket

By: Lemony Snicket

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: September 30th 1999

Format:  Paperback

Pages: 167

Dear Reader,

I’m sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,

Get the book : Amazon

My Review:

I’m i the only person who read this as an adult?

i’m glad i finally read it though , and i’m sure i wouldn’t have been able to appreciate it well enough as a child.

It’s a very well written story , i feel like i might be the only person who loved Lemony Snicket’s style . i loved the explanations he gave and the meaning for some words , i understand why some might find it a bit patronizing but i enjoyed it .

It made me feel as if i was sitting in a chair next to my grandpa who is in this case Lemony , while he read the book to me.

And it was very easy to get visual images of the scenes as the story went on , big point for that!

The story is very fun and the characters are interesting enough , The Baudelaire children are my favorites , they are brave , and smart .

Count Olaf made this much more interesting even though he is evil and tends to be very disgusting

One thing i hated is the way the communication between the children and the adults happens , it was very annoying and too much like a cartoon , but i guess it is necessary to serve the purpose of the story.

By: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication Date: August 5th 2014

Format:  Paperback

Pages: 337

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.

Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.

Promises get broken.

Rules get shattered.

Love gets ugly

Get the book : Amazon

My Review:

At this point i’m just going to accept the fact that i have a Love-Hate relationship with Colleen Hoover’s books . But i love her , she’s such a nice spirit and fun!

Going back to the book , i also read it without the slightest idea about its content . at first it was bit boring for me , and i admit i put it on hold for a long time until i finally decided to finish it a couple days a go .

The writing style is obviously good since it’s Colleen , i didn’t have trouble getting into it

The characters were fun but i didn’t find them interesting enough

Tate wasn’t that great for me , i found her to be very weak and annoying most of the time

Miles , i don’t see the hype about him , he isn’t that great either , i get it , the ” boy with tortured past” kind of thing , but i didn’t buy it ,i just didn’t like it .

i didn’t like them or their relationship with each other

i LOVED cap thought! he’s such a sweetheart and he’s funny

the reason i gave it three stars is because i understand what Colleen was doing , and i loved the meaning behind the story and the entire concept about letting go of the ghosts of our pasts .

I did cry while reading it , some parts were too much for me to handle so i’m warning you .

i don’t recommend this book , but i know some people would love it , so pick it up on your own risk . it just wasn’t made for me

Question : what do you think of Colleen’s books? which one is your favorite ?

and , did you love Miles with Tate?

Too Late

By: Colleen Hoover

ISBN: 1540324168

Publisher: Hoover Ink

Publication Date: November 19th 2016

Format: Paperback

Pages: 394

Sloan will go through hell and back for those she loves. And she does, every single day. After finding herself stuck in a relationship with the dangerous and morally corrupt Asa Jackson, Sloan will do whatever it takes to get by until she's able to find a way out.

Nothing will get in her way.

Nothing except Carter.

Sloan is the best thing to ever happen to Asa. And if you ask Asa, he'd say he's the best thing to ever happen to Sloan. Despite Sloan's disapproval of Asa's sinister lifestyle, he does exactly what he needs to do in order to stay a step ahead in his business. He also does exactly what he needs to do in order to stay a step ahead of Sloan.

Nothing will get in his way.

Nothing except Carter.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: This book deals with sensitive subjects, including, but not limited to: murder, rape, physical violence, mental illness, domestic abuse, etc. Read at your own risk.

Get the book : Amazon

My Review:

"I had to have a back-up plan so i wouldn't rot in fucking prison like my father did most his life. Maybe it wasn't a complete waste . i at least have the "Schizophrenia" to fall back on if i ever need it"

_ Asa

I'm sure this is the only Colleen Hoover book that's i will love this much , because i'm really starting to get sick of the sappy romantic fairy-tales , nothing against her though i love her ! i just don't enjoy love stories anymore .

This is why i didn't like Luke at all .. at all . i found him irritating and annoying , plain stupid and very unprofessional (obviously) .

and no , i didn't like his relationship with Sloan either , nor found it cute or beautiful .. to be honest i wasn't very fond of her character at all , i found her to be boring , and in some scenes i just wanted to shake her until she wakes the hell up .

i just didn't like anything about them , or them together ...

this is me while reading their parts

i think i might have liked John more than them and found him more interesting!

now Asa .. Asa Jackson , i freaking LOVED him , i ADORED his character and how twisted he is , that might be due to the fact i love villains in books , but there is something about him that drew me so much , i wished the book was written only from his perspective , he made things THAT more interesting

perhaps the only reason i kept on reading was because of him , i wanted to know what's going to happen next , i really fell in love with his twisted tortured character , it's a bit lame that i always fall for these kind of characters but i can't help it!

this is my review so obviously i'm going to be subjective , i wish there is a book only about him and his life , a twisted part of me wished Sloan would choose him ( yes yes i know it's wrong and would never happen! don't kill me... i'm a bit messed up , but hey it's a story!)

and this is you reading my review

i loved the snippets we were shown from his childhood , i loved his crazy moments , and his plans.

so , yes . i would recommend this book , even if it's only because of Asa , he's a character that shouldn't be missed . and that's why i love Colleen . because she is such a marvelous writer that she is able to create something like him !

Goodreads  – Booklikes – LibraryThing

Vampire Academy Series #1

By: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: November 2013

Format:  Paperback

Pages: 332

Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies . . .

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires – the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger . . . and the Strigoi are always close by.

Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever

Get the book : Amazon

My Review:

I haven’t really read the description of the boonk , i heard so much about it that i just picked it up and read it without knowing where it’s leading.

I’ve been in some kind of a reading slump , not really , but i couldn’t enjoy any book recently . but boooy i LOVED this one!

(p.s : what’s up with the ugly covers?)

I didn’t get into it very quickly , i was half way through the book to know i liked it , and that’s when things picked up .

I liked the writing style , and the pacing of the story .

The characters were likable as well ,

Rose is badass , i loved her and immensely  enjoyed her snarky comments and her short tempered attitude .

Lissa  was okay , although her powers are admirable , i didn’t connect with her. she’s the nice girl next door.

Christian , he’s that hot guy who doesn’t know he is hot , he just blends with the shadows , which makes him 10 times hotter ( right????)

I loved Christian and Lissa together , i was rooting for them!

Dimitri , i just have a thing for Russian men okay! ah i loved his character , ( that Lust spell scene thought ! ) i’m sure we all enjoyed him. he’s so … aghgdk!

Natalie , don’t wanna spoil anything , but , Damn girl you blew my mind.

Mia , i just wanted to hit her so hard throughout the book

The plot was a bit surprising , and fun . i do believe it could have been better but i enjoyed it anyway , the fighting scenes were also okay ( also could have been better) .
I loved the ending , all the thrill was there .

and i can’t stop thinking about how Dimitri and Rose should be together !

I want to study in this school !!!

and i think i would’ve made one hell of a Dhampir girl . ( not a big fan of Moroi and the royals)

I would recommend this book for YA fans , who are looking for a fun easy read , i’m glad i gave it a try!

I’m just not sure if i loved it enough to continue this series , what do you think, should i continue the other books? or does it go down hill from this one?

Me Before You Series #1

By: Jojo Moyes

ISBN: 0670026603

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books/Viking

Publication Date: December 31st 2012

Format:  Hardcover

Pages: 369

Obviously i'm not going to do a better description than the one in the book , so .. here it is.

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Get the book : Amazon 

My Review:

i see that everyone started their reviews with crying gifs or a 5 star rating picture , guess not me too.

the reason i picked this book is because of how many people recommended it and all the hype that's been going on , besides, i did like the movie trailer so i wanted to read the book before watching the movie.

Here's the thing , i didn't hate it , or find it bad , it just wasn't that good .

The pacing of the story was very slow , and not enough elements to keep your interest , some of the daily details were extremely unnecessary .

The characters were good , even though i didn't like Lou very much , nor her sister and family.

I loved Will , he might be rude and hard sometimes but he seemed more real and his actions and way of thinking were understandable .

The romantic aspect was laughable ,her relationship with Patrick seemed silly, i didn't understand why they were with each other in the first place .

and with Will , it was impossible , but i enjoyed it a bit.

I loved the moral questions this novel addressed, i felt like this subject needed attention.
How far would you go to make the people you love happy?
and are you really making them happy, or you just want to do the right thing , even if it meant they are suffering.
Sometimes you think you are helping someone , but you're not , because you never bothered to ask what they want.

there were many mixed feeling about the ending from many of my friends, but i loved it.
Our happiness lies in our own hands , no one can truly know what we're feeling and what are we going through , even if their intentions are good.
So whatever we do about it , is our choice , our decision .
Should we live for ourselves , in this case 'die' , or try not to hurt the people who care about us , even if it means we're hurting ourselves.

I thought it was the perfect ending , i didn't cry , i almost did though, but i did feel sad .

I'm giving two stars for it , one for Will and one for the ending. Otherwise i don't think it was really worth any of the hype .