When Love and Death choose their player

When Flora and Henry first met

But then the whole courting thing is actually... (This may be the cause of my slump, or the result of my slump)

How I Feel About Death Helen

How I Feel About Ethan

When things started to burn and people started to die

Finally exciting things are happening!

When Flora keep refusing Henry

The ending

Overall... I think I would like it more if the first 50% wasn't that boring and the reading slump doesn't hit... It's just not what I expected. I didn't feel the connection to the characters, or the spark between Flora and Henry. I feel more connected to Love and Death?? Maybe that's because I'm a magical creature. And also this has the most obvious case of insta love. I don't believe in insta love because of destiny and such... at least give a time for the love to develop before Henry started to stalk Flora. It's a shame though since I've been wanting to read this one for ageees and ends up dissapointed.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr || Goodreads

Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray || Goodreads

Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan || Goodreads

This book has been on my tbr list for so long. I never read Romeo & Juliet, nor I ever have watch the movie. But I know how the story goes, I mean who doesn't? So I'm so excited to read a somehow another version about the most famous love story ever.

First, don't be fooled. This is not Romeo and Juliet. They both fell for each other on first sight. Rosaline and Benvolio despises each other. They aren't in love, and there's nothing star-crossed about this romance.

Prince Escalus has a great idea of uniting House of Montague and Capulet to stop the feud, by marrying Rosaline and Benvolio together. They hated each other, and they aren't star-crossed. The prince and the families actually give them their blessings. But there's a series of murders that killing both Montague and Capulet, and making them at each other neck. Rosaline and Benvolio work together to solve the murder, and they eventually fall in love. And when things cool down, after everything is done, they live happily ever after.

That's basically the summary of the book, in a paragraph. So where's the starcrossed part? The angst? The desperation? This is no Romeo and Juliet. They aren't starcrossed. It was enjoyable, but it was too predictable. I could predict how it would happened from the first few chapters. All the characters are so reserved and stiff, and I think it's understandable since they just experienced a blood bath (Romeo & Juliet's event). But.. I couldn't feel any connection with them. I kind of understand them, but they sort of out of my grasp. I could break the characters like this:

• Rosaline hates the feud and want nothing to do with it. She hates both Capulets and Montague, and that's why she refused Romeo. She wants the best for her sister, Livia, and then off to the quiet life of nunnery. 
• Benvolio is grieving with Romeo and Mercutio's death, but I don't think he has any hatred toward the Capulets. He's just tired with the feud. 
• Prince Escalus is cunning and cares a lot about Verona. He puts Verona first, then his personal life. 
• Livia is a bit childish and impulsive. 
• Paris... well I think he's in so much grief he has mad idea and fall to quickly for Livia.

The setting is in Verona, and I love how vivid the description is. It's like you travel back through time and walking the streets of Verona. It uses Shakespeare's writing style, thy thou and stuff, and I found some difficulties with them, but after a while they're okay. And, it isn't written in verse like the actual play, so don't worry it isn't that hard to read!

Overall, it was a great book. I feel kind of cheated because it was nothing like Romeo and Juliet, there is nothing star-crossed about Rosaline and Benvolio. But the plot and the characters are enjoyable, even though the characters are one-dimensional. 

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

I had no intention to read this book or whatsoever. But Sasha (abookutopia on Youtube) loves this book so much, she has around 4/5 copies of this book. Plus this book is turned into a tv show. And I also never read anything about Scotland or set in Scotland (except for Silver and watching Reign) and I know nothing about it (except Mary of Scots of course) so why not? 

Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about this book. There are things that both I love and hate. First of all, this book is 733 pages long. I think it's the longest book I had read in a while, and it just feels too much for me. I just can't. The writing is so detailed, down to the smallest rock. I love how easy it was to visualised being in Scotland, but it also feels tedious and too much. I love Claire and Jamie. It wasn't love at the first sight, they actually get to know each other first and fall in love gradually. I love how they love each other passionately and completely. But I'm sorry, they have too much sex in my opinion. I know this is an adult book, but do we have to get sex scenes in every places they visit? 

Also this book is so slow paced. It could spend days on the road, or castle, or hiding, doing nothing other than everyday chores. While it helps me imagine how life were in 1745 Scotland, it gets boring. And I love how the Scots actually speak in their own accent, even though I had trouble understanding them. It just feels more real.

Overall, I think this book is too mature and too much for me. I like the plot, but the pace and the length of this book turned me off. I don't think I would continue this series, but I would definitely check the TV show out. And I would definitely read Into the Dim, which is supposed to be the YA version of Outlander. 

Title: The Twin's Daughter

Author: Lauren Baratz-Longsted

E-book, 

Published:

Publisher:
4/5 stars

Summary:

Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day…a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda?

Filled with shocking twists and turns, THE TWIN'S DAUGHTER is an engrossing gothic novel of betrayal, jealousy, and treacherous secrets that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Thoughts:

Title: Lily of the Nile

Author: Stephanie Dray

E-book edition, 368 pages

Publisher: Berkley Books

Published: January 1st, 2011

4.5/5 stars

Heiress of one empire and prisoner of another, it is up to the daughter of Cleopatra to save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers...
To Isis worshippers, Princess Selene and her twin brother Helios embody the divine celestial pair who will bring about a Golden Age. But when Selene's parents are vanquished by Rome, her auspicious birth becomes a curse. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, the young messianic princess struggles for survival in a Roman court of intrigue. She can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to resurrect her mother's dreams. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win-or "die"? 

I know most of the story of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, but I know almost nothing about Mark Antony. And I also know nothing about Cleopatra's children and what happened after Rome conquers Egypt. So I did my research (wikipedia) before I read this book to give me more insight and know what to expect. Actually, it wasn't my first time reading a historical fiction sets in Ancient Rome time, I've read Pilate's Wife before. But this novel still took my breath away.

It describes everything in a rich and vivid way. I feel like I was in Alexandria itself, or in the streets of Rome. I can imagine watching Octavian's Triumph. I can see all the buildings, temples and statues. It describes everything in such a beautiful way. I also like how different Rome and Egypt cultures are, and how they show distaste for each other. They're completely different, and yet they would be an important part of Selene.

It has amazing character development. Selene has grown so much throughout the book, from being a proud princess who lost everything, a girl cowering begging for her life, to finally being a schemer, a Queen. She realised that she has other ways of returning to Egypt, and she uses it. She embraces herself, and her legacy, and used it for her advantage. She learned how to live the Roman way, but also keeps her Egyptian legacy. She learned to play Octavian's game, and in the end become his equal. This book also create a hazy line for Octavian and Juba, and other minor characters.

It gives me lots of new information, but it doesn't feel like a history text book. I always have a soft spot for Ancient Greek, Rome, and Egypt. This book gives me so much more information about the situation at that time. The faiths, the social standings, the government system, and the political schemes. Politic is a dangerous game, and many things in this book are influenced by political motives. Everyone has complicated relationship with each other, because of the political system. The Isiacs also seems to play an important part at that time, because in Pilate's Wife, Isiacs also cause a stir in Rome society, because Isiacs embrace everyone and doesn't distinguish anyone.

It was definitely a book worth the read. I love how there are hints of romance here and there, but it was complicated. There are also hints of magic that relates to the faith of the people. Overall, I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it if you like Ancient Rome!