[Book Review] - The Sleeper and the Spindle - Neil Gaiman

Stories based on fairy tales always catch my attention and as Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors I couldn't help reading this book.

In The Sleeper and the Spindle we have a new version of 2 fairy tales that end up having their stories intertwined. Snow White, after her one year of a deep sleep, is queen and is about to get married. Until the dwarves arrive at the palace, they tell her about a neighboring kingdom that is impregnated with the magic of sleep, and that threatens nearby territories. Snow White, having already had her experience with a witch and the curse exchanges her wedding dress for armor and a sword and goes on the adventure with the dwarves.

The book clearly has as its main proposal to show strong women who do not stick to what is expected of them and make their own choices. There is a dark atmosphere that combines our prior knowledge of "fairy tales" with a new story and a twist. Witches remain greedy, but there are no helpless princesses dependent on princes.

The story is short and with a captivating and determined character that I really liked and will win over fairy tale lovers! The book also features beautiful illustrations by Chris Riddell that perfectly fit the dark aura of Neil Gaiman's story.

I read it on Kindle and I will certainly buy the book in the future. The edition itself is like a work of art that oozes beauty and delicacy. In the Kindle version, the illustrations are in black and white but in the versions of the Kindle app (phone or tablet) or in the Kindle Cloud Reader (PC) the illustrations also have golden details that bring additional beauty to the illustrations.

[Book Review] - The Last Magician - Lisa Maxwell

In The Last Magician, ancient magic is almost extinct and few are those who still have an affinity with it. These are called Mageus and survive by hiding who they are. But in addition to living in the shadows, they are prisoners in Manhattan. Any Mageus that enters the city becomes a victim of the Order, the organization that created Brink.

Brink is a kind of border that only allows Mageus to enter the city, but those who dare to try to leave will have their magic drained, something that eventually ends up leading the Mageus to death.

Esta is an apprentice to Professor Lachlan, an old Mage who adopted her, created and trained her to be a thief of magical artifacts. The goal was for her to become a perfect thief and for her magical affinity to only improve her skills.

Now, Esta has received its final mission! She must go back in time and steal the Book, a magical artifact that has disappeared and is believed to contain the Order's secrets and a likely way to destroy Brink. The only clue she has is that the Book may have been taken by a Mage.

Thus, Esta travels to the year 1902 in order to fulfill her mission, but for that, she needs to infiltrate the Dolph Saunders gang and go unnoticed before the Order.

The Last Magician is a book that piques your curiosity right from the start, as several characters are presented in scenes from different years and you want to understand how everything connects.

Lisa also writes in a way that we have very characteristic personalities and that made me care about everyone. Despite the strangeness at the beginning with names so peculiar and of different nationalities, you gradually connect with the characters without any doubts about who they are. Another point that impressed me is that writing is touching in sensitive moments, as it makes you care about the death of characters you met briefly.

Esta's first contact with one of the characters gave me the illusion that the book would lose focus and embark on a novel, but it doesn't. This may be possible in the future, but it will be gradual without the famous and disgusting "love at first sight".

Unfortunately, the author also sins! With a book divided into four parts, she creates a roller coaster of rhythm. The first part is thought-provoking, the environment extremely slow, and the end frantic.

Parts two and three are very extensive and at times have unnecessary situations making reading tiring. I believe that if the book was reorganized it would lose at least 100 pages because in some moments I had the feeling that the author did not know where to take the story.

In its final part, Lisa Maxwell seems to have been desperate to finish the book, raising the pace of events. The problems of the characters intensify, secrets are discovered, everything runs towards the solution, and on the hook for the next book in a few pages.

Several elements made me like the book: the system of spells, gangs, and time travel. However, due to the negative points presented, it can be noted that it is not without flaws. I am curious about the next volume, but I confess that I am afraid that it has this inconstancy of rhythm becoming extensive and tiring as the first volume.

[Book Review] - Mockingbird - Kathryn Erskine

Caitilin certainly joined my list of amazing kids! She is a 10 y.o. girl, sweet, intelligent, and has Asperger's Syndrome. She always had the support of Devon, her brother, and friend, the only one who understood her. Now, after the "day that life fell apart"... She feels confused and lost, just like her father. And even with the difficulty of expressing her feelings, she looks for an "outcome" because "time" is not a pill that works as a medicine.

How can such a tiny book teach you so much about empathy? The story is told by Caitilin, who is so fragile, strives to improve the relationship with the people around her and make her father smile again. Kathryn Erskine really managed to write in such a moving and enchanting way that it made it seem that Caitilin is real and that at times while reading, the reader's only desire is to comfort her.

“Empathy. - Says Mrs. Brook - Remember? It means feeling the way the other person does. It is as if you take off your shoes and put on someone else's shoes because you are trying to be that person for a moment.”

I am not easily moved, but the end of this book brought me good tears. Anyone who has known the experience of grief will understand very well the feeling when you realize that the pain and longing will always be there, but that it is possible to move on.

The story is incredible! Just like the characters. The reading is valid for everyone and not just to people who have some kind of contact with someone with Asperger's. Mockingbird is sweet, sensitive, and will surely grab you by the heart.

[Book Review] - The Girld Who Chased The Moon - Sarah Addison Allen

Attention: I have read all my books in portuguese. There might be some differences in the translation which may impact the direct quotes.

After her mother's death, Emilly is sent to the enchanted Mullaby to live with her grandfather, a giant, who she never listened about. The young girl is rejected in the city on the beginning for something that her mother did on the past and none want to tell her about. So, Julia, the city baker and Emillys neighbour, decides to help her to find her place on the city. Therefore, Julia also have her secrets.

“Live in her own past is difficult enough. You should not live the past of someone else.”

Sarah binds us to a history told by different viewpoints with an urge to discover the lights and magic of Mullaby, Emilly's gift, and the past of Julia.

Do not look for a justification for the enchanted because it is magic realism.  The magic is discreet and is just there. The plot's focus is on love and personal relationships. 

History presents us with two novels in development. Emilly with the mysterious Win, who is tired of the grudge and family secrets, and Julia with Sawyer, her old teenage love. And in the course of the facts, we realize that history tells us about love, how the past affects us emotionally and is directly related to who we have become and how forgiveness can bring us peace and help us move forward.

I confess that Julia's story moved me a little more. I believe it is because it is a more mature romance. After all, with the passing of the years and the arrival of maturation the problems end up becoming heavier and the regrets bigger. Julia is a strong woman who aroused my admiration and empathy.

The romance is sweet, light, and heart-warming. Throughout history I found myself smiling every time I noticed simple demonstrations of love like checking the washing machine or making cakes. Because love is not always in words, but in discreet and everyday gestures.

The feeling that reading gave me, from beginning to end, was as if I were floating between sugar and butterflies. I really hoped for the well-being of the characters because they were people who really deserved happiness.

This was my first reading of a work by Sarah Addison and she won my heart with her magical and smooth writing making this book one of my favorites. I'm already looking forward to seeing your other titles.

“The way we see the world changes all the time. It all depends on our mood.”

That's it! What you think about it? Leave a comment below! If you liked it, it would be amazing if you share it! Thanks for reading! See ya later!