[Book Review] - The Accidental Afterlife of Thomas Marsden - Emma Trevayne

We are naturally afraid of cemeteries. After all, it is a sad place because there we say goodbye to our loved ones, and even scary for the most superstitious. But Thomas cannot just avoid such a place. Since he works with his father, Silas, violating graves. All the treasure that the men insist on taking to the grave and will not need will provide for Thomas' family.

But one day Thomas comes across a recent grave that holds a body identical to his own with a note addressed to him and 3 tickets to an event where spiritualists contacted the dead. Obviously the desire to know its origins arises. And it all ends up taking Thomas towards a magical world that he never dreamed existed. 

The proposal is already intriguing and Thomas is a smart and courageous boy. He doesn't want to be blind about who he is. He wants to discover all the secrets that surround his history and takes us along with him. His courage and curiosity reminded me of some Neil Gaiman characters. We can also see that London's hard life has aged him more than 12 years. He behaves very mature for his age and, at times, even insensitive.

The story is a boy's journey getting to know himself and the magical world of fairies, but she speaks much more than that. Love for family and friends is presented to us in a delicate and touching way. We can see this clearly in some of the character's own actions with Charley, his best friend, and his parents, who despite being hardened by life and very strict, know how to show affection and concern.

“The point is: it is not because something is strange that it is not real.”

The writing is simple, fluid, and thought-provoking, making me wish the story was a little longer to explore some more characters and even the magical universe. The author writes in such a delicate way that it makes us believe that there really is magic in the world and we just don't know where it is hiding.

I loved the fact that the publisher kept the original cover, which besides being very beautiful is totally related to the beginning of the story and which together with the title arouses an instant curiosity. The book is youthful, but it is capable of winning adult hearts.

This was my first reading by the author, but it certainly won't be the last.

What about you? Let me know what you think of this story! See you in the comments! 

[Book Review] - Steelheart - Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart is the first book in the Reckoners trilogy, written by Brandon Sanderson, and published here by Aleph. 

At the beginning of the story, the author makes us aware of a fact where on a random day a star appeared in the sky and people began to present the most varied superpowers. As I took the book to read without even knowing the synopsis, I imagined it would be a common story about superheroes. But there are simply no heroes! The Epics, so-called those with superpowers, fight each other for power and this story takes place in New Chicago, a place dominated by the Steelheart, which has the power to turn things around into steel and is apparently invulnerable.

Our protagonist, David, is a survivor of a certain event where he ended up losing his father at the hands of the  Steelheart, but for a brief moment, he realized that Epic was not entirely invulnerable. As such, David grows obsessed and studying to discover the weaknesses of all Epics and eliminate them. He also wants to be part of the Reckoners, a group that has the same goal in common.

I had long wanted to know the writing of this author, who was so well known by the Mistborn series, and now I understand the reason for his popularity. The writing is very fluid, he has wonderful creativity, and his ability to describe action scenes is excellent to the point of making it look like we are watching it instead of reading it.

The main character, while being intelligent and knows how to improvise in dangerous situations, he also shows "silly" and exciting youthful behavior. But at no time is this negative! In fact, this brings an air of realism to him that makes us understand his motivations and determination to defeat the Epics, but that shows us he is still young and is maturing little by little.

The other characters are well inserted in the plot with well-defined personalities. The book is very humorous and among the group of reckoners, we have the feeling that, even in that hostile city, the members see themselves as a family even if they do not use words for that. The group's notion of respect is not only directed at the leader.

The secrets are discovered little by little. This is an extremely positive thing because I felt perfectly in tune with the characters' reasoning. Some questions about the plot were not answered in this book, but I believe they will be in the next books of the trilogy since the author concludes Steelheart in a way that encourages you to want to read the next volumes soon after.

Brandon Sanderson is a man of captivating writing. You will definitely want to see your other books.

Don't forget to share with me your impressions! See you in the next review!

[Book Review] - A monster Calls - Patrick Ness

First things first. The photo that I've used is the brazilian version of this book that has the title translated to match the movie title here.

Conor is 13 and already has too many problems in his life. She is being bullied at school, her grandmother (who is not that dear) is coming to spend a long time at home, her mother is very sick and her father is not as present as he should be. And as if all of that is not enough, he wakes up every night at 00:07, desperate because of a nightmare and with the visit of a monster that tells him stories and that, after the third, Conor must tell the last story.

The book is fluid and with several dialogues, but the simplicity of the words carries greatness in the feelings, emotions and teachings.

It is interesting how the book is divided. The stories told by the monster have the tone of fables with situations that really make us reflect on the conflicting attitudes and feelings of humanity, while Conor's "real world" is more apathetic and melancholy. Fantasy mixing with harsh reality relieves pain, suffering, fear, denial, anger, and exhaustion sensations clearly present in the character.

At the beginning of the reading, you know what will happen, but the focus is on the grieving process. The message that the book carries is presented in a very beautiful and smooth way.

The reading was pleasant and fast, but I believe that my age and the things I experienced influenced my impressions a little. I was not able to enjoy the fantasy very well because I have lived long enough to know that life does not go according to our will and that conflicting feelings exist within us all the time. I learned this the hard way, but for a younger audience or who have not yet experienced the experience of mourning, the book can serve as a kind of preparation for life and learning.

And what about you? What are your feelings about this? Tell me in the comments below! See you in the next review!

[Comics and Manga Review] - I Hate Fairyland - Skottie Young

When we are children we hear several stories with fantastic worlds full of magic and adventures. And many times our children's minds want to go there and get to know the dream of the Fairy World. Here we will meet Gertrude, the little girl who unfortunately had her wish fulfilled.

Gertrude was only 6 when she was dragged to Fairyland. And as soon as she arrived her only wish was to return home, however Queen Cloudia had her as a guest and the only way to return was to find the key that unlocked the door to her world. And the only things she had help with were a map of Fairyland and his guide, Larrigon Wentworth III.

It should have been a simple adventure in a magical world, but Gert has been in prison for twenty-seven years. All that colorful and happy universe had driven her crazy and the sweet little girl ended up becoming a revolted, hateful, violent, disgusting and miserable woman trapped in a child's body. She did not grow, but her soul grew older every day in that world.

His inability to interpret maps and his bad habit of not listening to his guide generates a trail of blood and disgrace throughout Fairyland and the fury of Queen Cloudia, who only wishes Gert's death, but tries to perform such an act in a way that does not break the rules of the universe.

The story is comical and absurd with a despicable and persistent protagonist. And it is this persistence that makes us root for it. Since Gert is willing to go home even if he has to open the way with an ax.

Art is like a mixture of Adventure Time and the violence of Deadpool. Some scenes also reminded me of Happy Tree Friends, but the difference is all the blood, broken bones, and deaths are not accidentally generated.

Skottie Young, an award winner from the New York Times, has been producing comics and children's books for over fifteen years. And my first contact with his work was through the illustrations of "Fortunately, the milk", by Neil Gaiman.

What you think about these comics? Comment below! See you in the next review!