Petuli's Reading

You know that feeling, you want to read something light and easy. And you pick up a book that looks like this kind of read. And you start reading. It takes some time but you realize, that this book is not the thing you thought it would be...

That happened to me with Flight. I was in a mood for cute YA romance story and Flight was my choice. Okay, it's definitely YA, there's some romance but I didn't expect that there would be such a huge paranormal part in the book.

Let's start from the beginning. Our main protagonist is called Camille Vanderhale and she comes from a very rich family. Like crazy crazy riich family. Of course, Camille is used to wearing very expensive clothes, to attend every possible social event and do things that go hand in hand with being so high on a social ladder. Camille has two siblings - Joseph about whom she really doesn't care much and Noelle, her younger sister whom she adores. In my opinion, all three of them act like spoiled brats but I guess that's the behaviour that comes with that much money. 

And then there's the romance with a crazy hot guy called Xavier. This part was really hard because the relationship between Camille and Xavier was a insta-love. Seriously, those two clicked perfectly from the second they saw each other - oh, how realistic! But Xavier is very important to Camille as he helps her with her paranormal side. 

What's nice and refreshing is that Camille knows she has some weird abilities! And she knows it from the beginning of the story. She tries to hide them but it's not really possible - sometimes it's hard to hide that you can float. The question that shapes the story is: Who is Camille? Or maybe what is she?

As Camille tries to figure out the answer, she find oout a lot of things about her family - both about the living one and not living one. And her family history is not the best one you can imagine... It's also nice to see that in the family where money play the main character there are realtionships that will suffer. You cannot buy happiness for your family - you have to earn it. 

I also very much enjoyed the role of music in Flight. Music is very important to me in my real life so I understood how music can influence our emotions and how people can express their thoughts through it. More music to YA literature! 

Nonetheless, there are some things that I didn't like:

Sometimes, the language used was really weird and it didn't fit the characters. Seriously, which 18-year-old girl would ever say: "Upon closer inspection, I see that this is no boy, but a young adult." I am 22 and I would never say this. 

And the romance feels cheesy: "I feel the pull - almost familiar to me now - as our breath begins to become one. I lean in, more confident now, and gently place my cheek on his chest." That's so unoriginal. Even if I loved someone with my whole heart (still don't think it's possible), I would loved to breathe on my own - thank you for that! 

And the last thing I didn't enjoy was the pacing. The story was just too slow for me. I felt like nothing really happened in the first 150 pages. The second half of the book was much better, but those first pages were really hard for me. On the other hand, if you enjoy spending time with the characters, you might enjoy it more than me. 

Overall, there's a space for a sequel and I wouldn't mind reading it, so if there's one in the future, I will probably pick it up. 

I received an e-book copy of Flight in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you Netgalley and Smith Publicity.

MY RATING: 3/5 STARS

I like various read-a-thons. It makes me read - a lot! More than usual. And usually I read a lot. So they make me read more than a lot. But I suck at sticking to some TBR piles. When I know what I am about to read I always lose interest in these books. As I said - I suck at it. 

From June 21 to June 27 we all can participate in Summer Biannual Bibliothon. And I am going to try! Try really hard! (but lately I feel a bit slumpy...) Summer is full of read-a-thons and as I have more time than usual I want to participate in all of them - but so much reading can take its toll. So I am writing here - I AM NOT SURE I AM GOING TO BE ABLE TO READ ALL OF THIS! If I don't want to read, I just want... Simple as that...

There are some tasks to complete during this read-a-thon. I have to admit that I don't like them very much. So I kind of cheated and I picked what I wanted. I just really want to want to read. Get it? Perfect! 

Let's see the challenges:

1. Group Book 

Paper Towns by John Green

I really wanted to read another John Green's Book. I hated The Abundance of Katherines but I liked TFIOS. Moreover, the movie is comming out and I cannot watch the movie if I haven'T read the book, you know, that would be pretty lame. I am thinking that maybe I will be able to read it even before Bibliothon starts.

2. Book from your childhood

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

What other book could a 22-year-old girl choose? Please! This is a no-brainer. And it's still short, so perfect for read-a-thoning.

3. Companion novel, novella or prequel

UnStrung by Neal Shusterman

UnStrung is a novella in Unwind dystology. I read the first book Unwind probably a month or two ago and I loved it! It's so realistic that you get so scared that everything could happen... one day... It's just crazy, but crazy good! So I definitely want to continue with the series and this is obviously the right time.

4. Genre you read the least

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Okay, I am cheating here. I read fantasy a lot. I just don't want to read the genre I don't enjoy. So I consider The Archived as a subgenre I don't read very often - I honestly don't remember if I ever read ghost book. One day I will be a reader that wants to read books which are not their cup of tea... But it will take me some time. Just wait for it, I'll wait with you.

5. Book you did not finish

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I started it once, I didn't finish it. That's the end of this story. I don't know what happened. 

I almost always finish the book - so it was this or Pride and Prejudice - I don't understand why people love this classic so much, I am not able to read it, no, no, nooo... And I am not going to try again.

6. Book set in the foreign country

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

I know that this is a sci-fi book but it's supposed to be set in the USA, like not usual USA, but still the USA. And as I live in the Czech Republic almost every published book is set in a foreign country.

7. Book about the social issue you are interested in

Looking for Alaska

I don't read about social issues much. So I have to used Listopia on Goodreads and some list told me, that this is the book about social issues. And I have it! In paperback - not only in e-book. So there we have the second John Green's book of this week. Show me some magic! Like real life, contemporary magic, you know...

Soooo! These are the books I am plannig to read. I am very excited about them, I actually managed to fill the challenges with books I really wanted to read for some time. 

Follow what is happening during the Bibliothon on Youtube and Twitter. I know I will!

All right! I hope you arw going to participate in various summer read-a-thons and I will be able to meet you and get to know you. I am also soooo curious about the books other people will be reading. 

P.S.: One perfect side effect of my reading - I get tanned! Yay! Reading outside is the best thing ever!

When you hear the name Markus Zusak you connect it with The Book Thief. Well, that book is amazing, so I fully undestand that. Nevertheless, very few people have read I Am the Messenger, which is a shame! This book is one of the most influential books to my life that I've read in a long time!

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The premise of the book is:

protect the diamonds

survive the clubs

dig deep through the spades

feel the hearts

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.
That's when the first ace arrives in the mail.
That's when Ed becomes the messenger.
Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?

So as we already know from the premise, Ed is a young boy who starts getting card with names or other clues on them. First, he doesn't know what to do with tha cards, you know, imagine you get the card with some adress - What will you do?

Ed starts following the clues and he gets to many difficult situation. Very often he still doesn't know what to do even when he is standing in front of the house he was supposed to find. But somehow, he manages to help the people lead better lives. 

The question and the great mystery of the whole book is: Who sends the cards? Who knows these people so well? Who knows Ed so well?

Ed is an amazing character. As a young boy, you can see that he has many problems, he is not happy and to make it short, he has his own things to care about. But somehow, doing all the task, Ed is becoming the character you look up to, he guides you through so many different life situations and you just cannot help but think about your own life, about what can you differently.

Many situations may bring tears to your eyes, because they are so real! Anyone can go through them. At the same time, Zusak uses so much wit and irony that you cannot help and laugh! Seriously, this is one of few books that made me laugh out loud (okay, I guess I looked like a complete idiot walking, reading I Am the Messenger and laughing... guess what? I don't CARE!)

The moral of the book is just amazing, it blends problems of today's world together with the basic human need - to have a good life! Even though I love the message the book gives me - haha message from I Am the Messenger - get it?, it was quite slow in some middle parts. There's definitely a possibility of re-reading this. Thank you Zusak! (and O boy! Have you noticed that he is actually very handsome???)