A Twisted Belief by Pearl Khatri is an over-whelming magical and heart-wrenching fantasy novel that has it all: strong bad-ass females, Greek mythology creatures, witches, vampires, Kings and glorious Princes, transforming Empyreans, epic adventures, battles for life and death, Goddess Prophecies and destiny calling moments.

The plot was so unique! I can’t say too much since I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but it is truly original, imaginative and with so many twists that you almost feel like you've been hit by a tornado. There is not a dull moment ever in this book, it starts off with a flurry of actions and turns into a rollercoaster ride at the second half. And, the characters! The characters are the most interesting aspects of the story. The main character, Erabella is both fierce and insecure at the same time. I really like that she is not to the perfect princess-type, but that she has “chubby cheeks” and is “plumpy as a plum” and so bad-ass. The way she tells all the men around her off and how she never backs down from a fight, is just hilarious. But there are so many other unique characters in this book. The strong and honorable Aaron, Prince-turning-King Vallian who stands up for Erabella in a time of need, Prince Johan who is so gloriously gay and sweet, the protective minotaur Orion, Elafil who reminds me of sweet Dolby in HP and Wance, the sexy powerful warlock. But of course, most of all the magnificent Ryan. He’s like Rhysand from the ACOTAR-series turned into a centurion AND a vampire.

Please be aware though that this book contains mature content, both sexual and language-wise and that it is a NA, not a YA, novel. Some scenes seriously made me blush! Just let me say that riding a centaur can get your imagination spinning… And the language is a bit crude, with plenty of use of the four-letter word and other cuss words, but it makes the dialogues snarky and hilarious!

All in all, A Twisted Belief is a fast paced, hard hitting, epic ride that will take you on exciting twists and turns! It is full of diversity, imaginative characters and a unique world building.

Find out more about the book and the author here: Pearl Khatri

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is an adorable and heart-wrenching coming of age story.

“Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.”

That quote from the blurb is a very good summary of this lovely, but sad, love story. It was not the best of Rainbow Rowell’s books (I loved Carry On to pieces!) but I really enjoyed it nevertheless. This is a cute and fluffy YA contemporary read but it also has a lot of serious moments with child abuse and negligence. 

My heart went out for both Eleanor and Park while reading this book. They both had so much to struggle with, especially Eleanor with her horrible home life and her mother, and her own appearance (“Red hair, wrong clothes.”).
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I also really loved the pop references and that the book took place in the 80s.

I am not sure how I feel about the ending though, I both love it and hate it… I think the book would have benefited from a more bombastic ending somehow. All the time while reading, I kind of waited for something more or bigger to happen.

All in all, if you haven’t read any of Rainbow Rowell’s books I would recommend you to start with Carry On, but after that, this is a really cute read as well.
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Find out more about the book and the author here: Rainbow Rowell

My reading tips this week is the adorable, sweet and quirky feel-good YA romance To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han. I flew through the pages of this cute chic-lit love story, not able to put it down until I’ve read it all. Lara Jean is now one of my favorite characters ever, and I absolutely love the Song family dynamics. This book is just as much about family bonding as it is about teenage crushes.

In short, this is a story about Lara Jean Song Covey, the middle girl of three in a half-Korean family, where the mother died about ten years ago. To deal with heartbreak and to get over her crushes, she writes love letters to all the boys she’s loved, then hides the letters in her hatbox. Until the box goes missing, and suddenly the boys, including her sister’s ex boyfriend Josh and the school hottie Peter Kavinsky, which sets in motion a chain of event that will change Lara Jean’s life.

Lara Jean is such an outstanding main character, I can’t think of any other character like her. I love her quirkiness, her innocence, how she loves to stay at home and how she deals with heartbreak and the love and devotion she feels for her family. She feels like a real person in so many ways. It is so refreshing with a quiet, shy person who is allowed not to be boring! Lara Jean is the opposite of boring, she’s funny and witty and curious and comes up with so many snarky comments you laugh straight out at times. Especially in the bickering conversations with Peter.

I can relate to so many things about Lara Jean. Like what it’s like to be shy, to prefer staying at home and baking (or in my case, reading books) over going to parties, to feel both older and so much more childish than your same age friends. And of course, her hate for driving. I’m still a lousy driver, totally get her aversion to driving!
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I also totally adored the whole Song Covey family. Lara Jean’s dad is amazing, I love the relationship he has with each of his daughters and how he makes sure their mother is still included as a vital part of the family even though she’s been gone for so long. One of my absolute favorites though is Kitty, the feisty little sister. She’s hilarious and adorable, and a total brat at times. I love her frankness and smartness and how she is just completely in her own skin all the time. I did not bond as much with Margot, the oldest sister, but she added a good mix to the family dynamics. So while this novel is also a romance, I felt that it focused on family more, which I truly appreciated. It is very rare in YA that the family gets this much focus, often the family is more or less left out. But here it was at the core of the story.

I like both Peter and Josh, but I think I enjoyed Peter’s character just a little bit more. (At least in the movie, where Lana Condor and Noah Centineo have such a sparkling chemistry. In the book Peter is sometimes a bit too douche-y for my liking.)

All in all, this book is super sweet, with more emotions than expected. The dialogue is great. It really feels realistic and like the characters in this series talk like real teenagers would. There is also great character growth. When the letters come out, Lara Jean had to go through a lot and really changed and grew from the experience.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an adorable and quirky coming-of-age story with a cute romance and heartwarming family ties. I can’t wait to continue the series and hang out more with Lara Jean!

Find out more about the book and the author here: Jenny Han