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1192363Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (Study #1)

Genre: YA Paranormal
Released: March 1st, 2007
Publisher: Mira
Pages: 412
My Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Yelena has a choice – be executed for murder, or become food taster to the Commander of Ixia. She leaps at the chance for survival, but her relief may be short-lived.Life in the palace is full of hazards and secrets. Wily and smart, Yelena must learn to identify poisons before they kill her, recognise whom she can trust and how to spy on those she can’t. And who is the mysterious Southern sorceress who can reach into her head?

When Yelena realises she has extraordinary powers of her own, she faces a whole new problem, for using magic in Ixia is punishable by death.


What I Liked:

Firtly, this book has been on my to-read list for good 5 years now. I know, I know! You can totally tell me that I have been living under a rock. It wasn't until I've read the Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder (which is the last book in the Healer series) that I've gotten on a serious Maria V. Snyder band vagon. I think, I might have a slight obsession with her books going on at the moment. Honestly, If I am not studying I am reading her books.

Anyway, let me just say, this book has blown my mind! I don't know what it is (well I sort of do) but I love the story line so much. The characters are brilliant, and I woudln't change a thing. There are so many breath catching moments that send shivers down your spine, but there are also those tender moments when you just wish you had someone to cuddle with as well (lucky you, if you have that special someone).

The book starts of very dynamically, jam packed with action straight away. To be honest, I really have't read many books that have started off the same way. Luckily, Yelenna doesn't die at the very beginning of the book, even though the 'justice is blind' in her case. She's very well rounded character, with a mystery aura around her, so it's quite fascinating to watch her character unravel more and more in each chapter. And of course, the lovely commander Valek is the one to watch out for in this book as well. If you've read enough YA books, you could definitelly tell straight away that there is going to be some sort of a relationship between Yelenna and Valek. 

I loved all the other characters as well, i think they created a nice balance in the story. The flow of the book was really good as well. 

What I didn't Like:

My mind is so blank when it comes to negatives of this story. To be fair, everyone has their own opinion on individual books, and some people will love it and some people won't. I personally wouldn't chage anything, because then it wouldn't be the same anymore. However, I am quite sure that even Maria herself has something she would like to change about the storyline or the book itself. 

I am not usually like this, in fact i don't think i've ver written a review with no ''didn't like'' points, but hey, there's first time for everything as they say.

Overall Thought:

I'm currently reading th third book in this series, and I am still loving it! Trully, I don't know how Maria does it, but it gets better and better every time I read something from her. And also, she's the reason why I stay up until ridiculously late at night reading books, because I just can't let go and put it down.

Ah-mazing read! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a good, fast paced, dramatic and romantic read. So, if my raving haven't influenced you to go read this bok by now, i don't know what will. 






                       Alison Can Read Feature & Follow

Question of the Week: How important is good writing to you? In an ideal world, a book would be beautifully written AND have great character development, plot, etc. But in the real world, which do you prefer: (1) Great characters and plot with lousy writing or (2) Middling character development and plot but gorgeous writing?

This is very difficult question, however I would much rather read book with amazing characters with superb plot than one that’s lacking in good writing. Of course, there are people who would prefer better writing to developed characters, but that’s not me. Even though I like well written books, and it’s always easier to read them; if the book doesn’t possess me with its amazing story, I won’t be hooked.

I feel like that lately in the YA and NA literature there has been many great books with superb plots and characters, that might have been lacking a little in the writing style. But who cares! If the book is convincing enough for you, and you can’t put it down, I don’t think the grammatical correctness and style of writing are the first thing you would judge.

If you haven’t yet, please follow me on Bloglovin. Also leave your links in the comments, so I can follow you back.

Have a magical weekend,
Xoxo Maria 


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                           Alison Can Read Feature & Follow



Q:Have you ever convinced someone to read a book, a series, or a whole genre? What book(s) and who was it? Did they like it?

I must proudly admit that I'm the queen of persuading people to read books or even the whole series, if I think they will undeniably enjoy it. My friends often tell me that I remind them of Alice Cullen haha, with the exception that I don't use puppy eyes technique ;)

Anyway, I think I had most success persuading friends to read The Healer series Maria V. Snyder, which I love immensely (the review of book 3 is in the making atm). I remember I made my 2 best friends to read the whole series, and then when I moved to UK, I introduced some of my course mates and some other friends to this series as well. 


Another really good book that I showed to my friends is Just Don't Fall by Josh Sundquist. Now, this book is completely different to what I usually read, however it was so funny and interesting read. I definitely challenge all of you t give this book a go :)

Have a magical weekend, and don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin, if you don't already! 
PS: Leave a comment with your blogs, therefore I can check your blogs out ;) 

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I know I posted that I'd start posting again in February and such, however I just got so busy again with school. I never though it would be this crazy at uni. So many exams and assignments, and on top of it I was trying to balance part time job and sports. 

Anyway, I just finished all my exams, and I passed year 1 at university. Huraaaay! :) So now, I still have some time before I head home for summer, so I figures, let's get back to blogging! Such a bright idea, I know, hahaha.

I hope you will all forget me for not posting, and still follow my latest reviews. I just posted review of Hidden by Marianne Curley, so go check it out. 

I was also planning to start this new blog (for at least a year or two) about healthy lifestyle and recipes. I don't know if any of you would be interested in such topic, bu I just thought, why not mention it. Let me know if any of you, and don't be shy ;), would like to read something about my experiences with healthy cooking on budget (and I mean quite a small budget, since I'm a student), exercise, juicing and lot more. 

I love you, and thanks for all of your support. Have a magical day everyone! 

xoxoxo Maria <3



Hidden (Avena, #1)
Hidden by Marianne Curley (Avena #1)

Genre: YA Paranormal
Released: June 25th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 325
My Rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis:

For as long as Ebony can remember, she's been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It's as if she's being hidden. But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can't be concealed. She's growing more beautiful by the day, she's freakishly strong, and then there's the fact that she's glowing. 

On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she's intensely drawn to him. It's as if something explodes inside of her--something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn't know that she's a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.


What I Liked:

I bought this book in a little charity shop, thinking that it could possibly be a good read. However, I didn't realize how great it is until I began reading it. I found this book unbelievable catching, and I have definitely struggled to put it down. Now, I'm not huge fan of angel stories, but this book was a positive surprise. 

I really liked Jordan's character. I think Jordan's personality really came through in the book, and so did his charm. He is very easy to warm up to, and I would definitely prefer him to be with Ebony. I found, that Ebony is your typical, super powerful, not in control, but "must save the world" character. However, that doesn't have to be necessarily a bad thing. 

I'm definitely a fan of the "heart-attack" moments in this book, and it definitely helps the book flow more smoothly. I was very excited with the whole plot of the book at the beginning, however it was a bit of let down near the end. 

What I didn't Like:

Why, oh why has this book turned out from super exciting to quite boring towards the end? I have really enjoyed the beginning, as I said earlier, however when the whole "love triangle" between Jordan, Thane and Ebony started, it just went downhill. Ebony and Jordan had this romantic "thing" going on at the beginning of the book. Their relationship looked so promising and exciting, but then Thane came and it was all over. Ebony and Thane shared this insta-love right away, which I'm not such a fan of. Also, I didn't really like Ebony's behaviour towards Jordan after Thane appeared.

Overall Thought:

This was first book from Marianne Curley that I have ever read, however I recently bought The Named, so I'm hoping that The Named will uplift my feelings towards this author, and make me fall in love with the book. However, back to The Hidden, I felt like Marianne took this quite intricate plot from the beginning, and then decided to mix it with this classic Young adult style of writing, and that just didn't work for me. Now, I know this may sound silly, but you know how sometimes with a characters you feel like it could happen in the real worls, and it just leaves you wondering "what if...", but this one didn't do it for me at all. Which is quite disappointing. Nevertheless, I have still enjoyed the book, and even the same old insta-love love triangle. I don't know if I will read many angel books, but hopefully one day I'll find one that really catches my attention, and leave me wondering that maybe, just maybe it could possible be real :) 



Hi everyone! 

I know I haven't blogged in a while, and I'm sorry. There have been many changes in my life in a past few months that I just didn't have time for blog at all. However, as I'm getting hold of things again, I will be posting again as well.

I guess now you are asking what happened that I was out of it for so long? Well firstly, I moved to UK. Say what?! Yes, that's correct. I packed my things, got on a plane and moved few thousands miles from home to start university in the United Kingdom. 


I must say I love it here, I enjoy every single second to the fullest. Although it's a great fun, with new place and school come new responsibilities. So as you can imagine, with the course that I'm doing I've been glued to the chair in the library and kept studying and studying. I also play sports for uni, so that keeps me even more occupied. Finally, I figured out how to put all the pieces of this time consuming puzzle together, and I have some spare time for other activities. Hallelujah! 

I still need to find a part time job, because now I'm officially in the category: Broke College Student! However, I'm a believer, and hopefully I will land a part timer soon. I wish I could read books and make money while doing it though. That would be a dream come true!

Anyway, I really am sorry for not posting, and I hope you will forgive me, wink. I hope you had all an amazing Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Maria xoxo 

Alison Can Read Feature & Follow

Q: How do you handle a book you don’t like? Do you DNF or do you power through?


If there's a book I really don't enjoy then I usually DNF. I'm not proud of it, so I try to finish every book that I read, but with some books, I really got a feeling that it's mission impossible. 
I remember that I had really hard time with House of Night series, and I've read first book just for a joke and I challenged myself to see how many books in the series I can read :D I couldn't handle it anymore on book 5. I'm sorry if there's any fan of House of Night series reading this, but I just don't like it at all.

Hope you all have a magical weekend and I'll talk to you soon :) By the way, leave me a comment with you links, so I can check your blogs out and make some new friends!

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Hello there! I am Maria, a doctoral student, nutritionist, but also an avid reader. I hope my book reviews help you out in your next book choice.

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