"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J. K. Rowling || A Book Review & Book to Movie Comparison

I'm late for this train for more than a decade, but I finally jumped on it and I'm on it for the whole ride. I started the series and intend to end it -hopefully- within 2021. The "Sorcerer's Stone" is actually the only Harry Potter book I've read before, so it was actually a re-read. I read it for the first time back when I was a teen, more than 10 years ago (God, I'm old), and I enjoyed it quite a lot back then. I never continued with the series though, because back then it was kind of a big deal and I hated the hype around it, I didn't understand the hype so I stubbornly refused to read the rest of the series. As the years passed, I got this scary realization that even though I was a geek and an avid reader in general, there was one story I had no idea about, I could not participate in conversations about, I could not know or talk about it and therefore could not form an opinion and that annoyed me so much! I was already late the first time I read it but imagine after years passed and I actually got the desire to read it, and yet, I couldn't bring myself to the task. But this year was the year I finally got to it and here's my very late review! 

***RATING***

I remember enjoying it so much more the first time around, back then I'd have probably given it a higher rating, but now 3* seems enough and I can't rate it higher. This time around I didn't love it as much and I don't know if it is because it was a re-read, so I was bored because of that (which I don't think is the case, because I almost didn't remember any of it) or if I have outgrown it. I did feel at many points that I may be too old for this book but kept going anyway.

***REVIEW***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***

Rowling's writing is exceptional there is no doubt about that! Not only is it technically flawless, but artistically as well. She very successfully creates a unique atmosphere, which is characterized by a very familiar, warm, and cozy feeling which most readers can recognize and a lot of fans adore and keep coming back for. She sets a beautiful tone and manages to establish very distinct characters and character voices. The characters are memorable and distinct with very clear intentions, goals, and motives. They also feel very close, almost as if you know them and they're your friends already, Rowling has done that by giving them very familiar and real qualities and she hasn't made them merely likable, but actually interesting and layered. The worldbuilding is perfect, Rowling manages to make you immediately emerge into the world she's writing - whether that is the plain, boring muggle world of the Dursleys or the unbelievable magical one of Harry - the imagery is vivid, the magic feels real and each creature is unique. This book is a beautiful introduction to this world without failing to be a continuous adventure that escalates smoothly to the ultimate final adventure with great pacing and rhythm.

Though I did love the last 1/3 of the book and it really sucked me in, I had a little bit of a hard time with the first 2/3. During the first 2/3 of the book I slugged through it and it couldn't really keep my interest constantly throughout, but it rather made me feel like the interest was kind of "on and off". Like one moment I was super invested and the next I was a bit meh, then invested again, then not again and this was pretty much how I felt for the first 2/3 of the book. I can say that the last part of the book was definitely the most interesting, it had the best flow and was eventually what won me over about the book. The ending was beautiful and satisfying.

***BOOK TO MOVIE COMPARISON***SPOILERS***

It is widely considered that the first movie is the best adaptation of the book out of all the Harry Potter books/movies. I cannot yet form an opinion about the rest of the books and their adaptations as I've not read them yet, but I can surely say that it a very good adaptation. It is as faithful to the book as it could possibly be, transfers the story and message successfully, and depicts very well the overall atmosphere as well as the plot and characters. There are very few things that have been cut out, but it doesn't feel like anything significant is missing. That being said, the first movie is not my favorite, not even close, but as an adaptation it's good.

The characters in the movie are very close to the ones in the book, they feel like they are the same characters and they are well-made, so a successful interpretation of them nonetheless, but still, I liked the characters in the book way more than in the movies. In the book, Harry is very witty, smart, active, and kind of sassy, while in the movie he's not nearly as interesting and feels like a weaker version of the character and protagonist. Hermione is actually an annoying know-it-all in the book and you understand why others may dislike her while in the movie it feels like Ron is mean to her while she is not all that bad. And Ron is not only funny and likable but also resourceful and creative. They all feel like weaker versions of their own character in the movie. Their friendship feels very real, sweet, and heartwarming both in the book and the movie! 

One part of the book that I loved that wasn't in the movie (I wish it was though) was the Centaurs, their whole existence, how they were described it seemed so interesting to me and the whole meeting with Harry in the forest was one of my favorite parts of the whole book! I'd love to learn more about them in the other books and see them in more scenes.

One thing that I disliked in the book that was not in the movie (and I was glad it was removed) was Peeves. I have no idea if he becomes important later in the series, but up until now he's served no real purpose to the story and I didn't care for him, if anything I found him really annoying and wished he wasn't there.

One of my favorite scenes was towards the ending where Dumbledore talks with Harry. Their discussion not only reveals a lot about the story and characters but also helps develop plenty of characters. Also, Dumbledore's words are just pure wisdom and so quotable. So many beautiful and meaningful quotes I had to stop to take notes and I believe those are about to be even more in the next books as the story proceeds.

I also found the Quidditch scenes quite entertaining which I didn't expect at all. I always thought that the written descriptions were going to be boring, but they were funny and didn't feel like a flat description of a game. 

***END OF SPOILERS***

I'm surely going to be reading the rest of the series very soon and hopefully will get through it in 2021 (one of my bookish goals for the next year). I also have a very strong feeling that I am going to like the next ones more than the first so I'm very curious to get to them.

Thanks for reading!

"The Last Airbender: Prequel - Zuko's Story" || Book Review

This is the second book in the ATLA universe that I've read and I was really eager to read it. If you'd like to see what I thought of the first comic book in the series ("The Lost Adventures") you can check it out here.

Zuko is definitely my favorite character of the ATLA universe! I love him and his story to bits so when I discovered this book exists I had to read it as soon as possible! I could not leave it, I really wanted to learn more about his character and backstory!

It is a fun quick read but nothing exceptional. Maybe I feel that way because I expected more getting into it, then I saw that it was good but not as great as I hoped and got disappointed. There were parts of it that I loved and felt really believable and they really belonged with the actual story  (like the appearance of Guru Pathik which I thought was a very nice touch and a connection between Aang and Zuko before they even met). There were also a couple of scenes that I found really emotional like this masked guy Zuko met and what Iroh told Zuko near the end of the book. Then there were some parts that were not so great, that felt wrong, felt like they didn't belong or make sense or that they didn't agree with the main plot and the characters. For example, I always thought that even though Iroh failed at Ba Sing Se he was still an esteemed general, so I always thought that he went with Zuko by choice and despite the arguments of others, not that he was dispatched like this. This did not make sense for either Zuko's arc or Iroh's. There are moments that you feel that the characters wouldn't act this way, or that things would have happened differently.

However, the book manages to create a variety of feelings from pain and empathy for Zuko to anger and despair for all the problems he has to face. At moments it even makes you feel happiness and hope for the characters and for their future. So that was a strong point for the book.

My main problem was the art. I wasn't a fan of the black and white art and I also wasn't a fan of the designs. Obviously, I am not an expert in those things and this is only the second comic book I've read so I have no experience whatsoever, so excuse me if I'm wrong or if I'm missing some kind of artistic point, but I'm only expressing my opinion based on my taste and nothing more. So, back to what I was saying... One of my big complaints was that the characters (the designs) didn't resemble the actual characters (at least as we've known them in the show and other comic books) at all. I tried to look past this and read on, all the while imagining the characters in my head looking like they did in the show, but this still was something that I didn't like.

It does feel like fanfiction at times but not too much and overall it's an okay read. So, while there were things I disliked, I mostly enjoyed it so I decided to give it 3*. It goes by really fast, I read it in two sittings and - even with its advantages and disadvantages - it still holds your interest and attention throughout and it is quite enjoyable.

"Avatar: The Last Airbender : The Lost Adventures" || A Review || My First Comic Book

I don't usually read comic books, but I recently discovered the ATLA series (the TV show) which I watched (for the first time, unfortunately, at my 28 years since I'd missed it when I was a kid) and rewatched immediately and completely fell in love with it! I have to admit I was quite reluctant with it at first. Starting a kid's show at my age without having watched it ever before as a kid (which meant I had no nostalgic feelings about it) and especially one that is animated felt a bit weird. I thought it was something I'd grown out of. Turns out that couldn't be further from the truth! The thing that finally convinced me to give this series a try was the numerous positive comments I'd heard about it. Having now watched it I can absolutely understand what the hype is all about and it is justified! I loved it more than I thought, but I probably shouldn't go on about the show, the post after all is about this comic book which was also the first comic book I ever read.

I used to avoid comic books and they were not my first choice, but after falling in love with the ATLA universe, I wanted to stay in it a bit longer. I couldn't leave this world I had to know more about it and about the story and the characters, so I couldn't help but immediately start reading the comic books! "The Lost Adventures" takes place at the same time as the show and it's kind of like "deleted scenes" from in between the actual episodes. 

Some of the stories are shorter, some are longer, some are cute and funny additions, some others are interesting and feel like they really belong in the story, they complete and complement the plot and explore the characters more. The book is divided into three parts, each part containing scenes that belong to each one of the Three Books (or three seasons) respectively. The art varies from story to story and while it is quite different (and sometimes I didn't love it as much), it pretty much consistently maintains a good quality throughout the book.

Some of the shorter stories feel like they could be scenes within the already existing episodes while some of the longer ones feel like they could be separate episodes themselves. The stories from Book 1 were my least favorite, even though they were cute and fun. I enjoyed half of the stories from Book 2 and most of the stories from Book 3. Just like in the show were Seasons 2 and even more Season 3 were my favorites! Especially the stories that belonged in Book 3 felt like they should have been in the show and they would have been great additions. Some of my favorites being:

- "Sleepbending" (Book 2)

- "Sokka the Avatar" (Book 2)

- "Going home again" (Book 2)

- "Private Fire" (Book 3) 

- "Swordbending" (Book 3)

- "No benders allowed" (Book 3)

- "Dragon Days" (Book 3)

This comic book is a nice continuation of the story after finishing the show. You get to stay in this amazing world and learn more about it, you may not get further in the overall storyline, but I feel you should really read it before going on with the rest of the books. It feels like a great start for the comic books of the series. I really liked it, but gave it 3* only because I feel that the rest of the comic books will be even better and I'll have to give them a higher rating.

I really enjoyed it very much and I'm definitely going to read the rest of the comic books soon!!! I'm really curious to find out what happens next and I really can't believe what I've been missing all this time!!!

The subtle art of not giving a f**k, by Mark Manson || Book Review

 

“Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for.”

Not my usual kind of book (self-improvement, self-help books aren't my usual choice), but I wanted to give this one a try, mostly because of the title which I have always found funny. I didn't read the physical book, but I instead chose to listen to the audiobook, which I totally recommend.

The book is simply written and very easy to understand, but not simplistic. It is very original and surely different from others of the kind not what you'd expect. I liked some chapters better than others. Some of the points the book makes are really clever and spot-on. The book makes you think about your life, choices, goals, and values. I rewinded and relistened some of the chapters and I have to say they were even better the second time around.

The narration was absolutely wonderful! The narrator has a great voice and style and the way he reads it is both interesting and funny. It never gets boring. The narration was one of my favorite things in the book and I'm very glad I listened to it instead of actually reading it. I don't know if it could have held my interest as well if I was reading it.

It's probably the best book of this kind that I've ever read and I enjoyed it very much. It is quite different and it's set apart from others of the kind. The audiobook was awesome and I can't help but recommend it. I'm going to give it 4* because I liked it for the most part. It was a very easy and very fun read with a great narration and very refreshing and liberating views and ideas. It's worth the try and definitely worth your time.

Some of my favorite parts and quotes:

- “This is the most simple and basic component of life: our struggles determine our successes.”

- “It turns out that adversity and failure are actually useful and even necessary for developing strong-minded and successful adults.”

- “People get addicted to feeling offended all the time because it gives them a high; being self-righteous and morally superior feels good.”

- “But a true and accurate measurement of one’s self-worth is how people feel about the negative aspects of themselves.”

- “We are defined by what we choose to reject. And if we reject nothing we essentially have no identity at all”

Thanks for reading!

"The Fever Code" by James Dashner || Book Review & Book Discussion

This was probably my favorite book in the whole series. It was very enjoyable and interesting, I didn't get bored or lose interest even for one page. It goes by really fast, the pacing is great, the story is good and ties in with everything else in the other books and it seems like the writing is also better than the rest of the books. It's the beginning of the characters' journey, the memories some of them chose to never get back, the backstory we never got to see in the other books and it's a good pay off. Seeing the lives of the characters before the Maze helps you understand their choices and why their characters were shaped the way they were. You can understand some if not all of their choices and actions, and wonder if maybe even subconsciously in some hidden part of their brains they had some kind of memory or feeling from their past. This book also gives you more of an idea of how things were inside Wicked and you learn more of what was going on. 

Overall it was a very good read and I was pleasantly surprised after the disappointment of the "Kill order" (if you'd like to know what I thought of it, you can find a small review here). But, now, let's get on with my review for this book...

****POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD****

I mostly speed-read the "Kill order" so I didn't remember any mention in the previous book that Deedee was Teresa. I either completely forgot about it or it wasn't mentioned, whichever it was, I was shocked when I found out it was her. I was also shocked and sad when I read about Newt and his sister. I hated Paige and Wicked even more and I disliked Teresa more than before, even though I now understand more her beliefs and motives. Her actions are still inexcusable but somewhat more understandable.

The ending, for me, was half expected and half unexpected. I knew that Thomas would be betrayed and things would go wrong, but not really in this way. I had started to grow some faith in Teresa I thought and believed that she really was on his side this time and that she was betrayed too, but it turns out that all along she has never been any different. I also thought that it would be someone else's idea to swipe his memories, not Paige's. But the most shocking was the fact that she was the one behind the infection. She was so ruthless and unstoppable she did not hesitate to infect her co-workers with the Flare and condemn them to a horrible fate. And not only did she do that to accomplish her impossible-to-achieve goals, not only she did everything to keep torturing innocents, but when it was done she asked children, teenagers, to clean up the mess. She had children terminate her opponents, to take the lives of people, and on top of everything else, she distorted the truth about it. She then took over and screwed everyone's lives up for three more books.

I loved how the book ended with some of the words used in the first book (cold darkness and stale dusty air) and I also really liked how Teresa ended her message about the words she'd write on her arm ("Wicked is good"). I loved the way Thomas' swipe was described, it was a beautiful and poetic visualization of what was going on inside his head.

****END OF SPOILER SECTION****

As I see it the main theme of this series is this "Do the ends justify the means?". I think that this question sums it up and it is, of course, answered many times throughout the stories. It is even mentioned in the book that this should be Wicked's moto that "the ends justify the means. The truth is that no end, no noble cause could ever justify the abuse of children, the messing up with other's minds, the torture and manipulating of young people, the destruction of families, the deception of people, and so on and so forth... All these are despicable acts done by people with great power in their hands that chose to shape not only their fates but everyone's. Their distorted beliefs and ambitions lead to outrageous actions and the chain of events that follows leads to a disastrous dead end that by the end of the book is unavoidable.

I gave this book 4* even though it feels a bit more like 4,5* to be exact. This book adds to the overall story in contrast with the "Kill order" which felt pointless and indifferent. This one is a nice addition and it contributes to the story and mostly to the characters. I'm glad I read this series and that I finished it with this book. It was a great trip with many adventures and I enjoyed it more than I expected! 

"The Kill Order" by James Dashner || A Mini Book Review

This one was my least favorite from the series, so this review is going to be short (indicative of how much I didn't care about it). If, however, you want to read my thoughts on the previous book in the series you can find my full review here.

It was very boring and I didn't like it very much. I couldn't care for the characters. I felt like I did not really know them and couldn't care what happened to them. Changing the set of basic characters and introducing new ones was a distraction for me. The story follows the same formula with the rest of the series and many of the scenes seem familiar and repetitive. I speed-read a big part of it and only read properly the interesting parts. The writing was not very good.

I didn't enjoy this book at all and I was tempted at many points to just give up and DNF it. It was a bit of a struggle to get through and it is definitely the weakest one in the series. I had first given it 2* but after some thought, I decided to give it 1*. Most important for me was that I could really just skip this book entirely and nothing would change about the overall story. Reading it didn't give me anything new or add anything to the plot. I could have gone through the rest of the books without knowing exactly how the first contamination happened and I wouldn't miss it at all. If there had to be a book about how it all started it should have at least been good with a solid plot and engaging characters. It should have something exciting and new to add.

"The Death Cure" by James Dashner || Book Review & Book to Movie Comparison

Out of the three books of this trilogy, this one was the hardest one to get into. If you want to know my opinion about the previous book in the series ("Scorch Trials"), before reading about this one, you can find it here. This one was still an enjoyable read, but not as attention-grabbing as the other two. My main problem was the first 2/3 of the book, while the last 1/3 becomes quickly and vastly more interesting. I thought the pacing was a bit problematic and I had to skim read a bit at the beginning, but thankfully it got much better after the middle and up until the ending and it did not disappoint me at all.

Once more, the worldbuilding, setting, and scenery was very well done. The characters have definitely developed since the previous 2 books. They have changed and it is obvious in this book and until the end, they continue to change as a consequence of all the horrors that have happened to them. The action and suspense scenes were as always written perfectly.

****POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD****

I loved the connection between Thomas and Brenda and how it slowly but steadily develops and unfolds. You get a few but strong interactions, the moments between them are not many but are evenly spread throughout the book and each one of them is strong enough on its own just as well as all of them combined together when you're finished. Their relationship felt natural and it made sense, so I was very happy they ended up together. 

I also liked Teresa's character development even though we didn't get to see much of her in this book. Her death was sad but not as impactful as I think it should and could have been. It felt sudden and weird when it could have been a much stronger scene. I much preferred the movie version of Teresa's death, because in the movie it felt shocking, strong, and impactful, but also much more real and believable. Then again, in the book, it was much more of a sacrifice, while in the movie it was less of a sacrifice and more of an accident, but I still preferred the movie version better. On the other hand, I hated the romance between Thomas and Teresa in the movie. I understand that they had to work and develop an already existing romance, rather than start a new one with a less familiar character, but I still much prefer Thomas with Brenda than with Teresa so in this part I preferred the book. 

The strongest moment in this book was beyond a doubt Newt's death. It was the most impactful, devastating, and heart-wrenching moment and it gave me tears. I kept thinking about it for a couple of days before reading on and I had to go back and reread it because that's how much I liked it. It was so sad and painful and it still shocked me even though I'd been spoiled about it and I knew it was coming. On the other hand, Newt's death in the movie was neither as powerful nor as sad and painful as it was in the book. Not even close. What I loved about the book version was that Newt's insanity was obvious, real, and very believable. In the book, he was completely paranoid with a few moments of sanity here and there, but in the movie, he was mostly sane with a few moments of slight madness. In the movie he wasn't completely lost and his death felt more like it had a physical cause, while in the book it's all about his mental decay and about how in this madness he had the sense to choose to die before he gets worse. The realization of his own situation and the despair he had and him begging his friend to free him from the pain; it's all so traumatic. Thomas' pain and remorse after he did it and how it all happened it was all so tragic. His final words to Thomas were heart-wrenching and strong! In the movie, it felt like they didn't give it as much attention as they should and as it deserved. It felt a bit strange and not nearly as sad and painful and it was really annoying because it felt like if they had rushed a little maybe he could have been saved!

I was really expecting Thomas' confession to Minho about Newt's death and I was a bit disappointed that it never happened and that Thomas decided to keep it a secret because I'd love to see them talk about it with all that this includes: they would get angry, they would fight, they would cry and in the end, they would probably forgive each other and understand.

Gally's comeback was also a strong and unexpected moment and I really liked that he came back and played his role on the outcome of the story. I felt sorry for what happened to him but also happy that he survived and changed and wanted to help. It was so nice that they made peace with Thomas.

The final battle and the escape was satisfying and left me feeling very well. The scene was action-packed and suspenseful. I really loved how Thomas finally killed the "rat-man", it was so satisfying! I really hated the guy and loved it when it happened. The ending overall leaves a bittersweet feeling as you see that they couldn't make a cure and save everyone, but at least they saved all the immunes and humankind still has a chance. The solution came from within WICKED which had been the cause for most of their problems and this was both ironic and meaningful and I loved it. The ending was bittersweet and contradictory and the outcome was better than I expected. It's not a typical happy ending but I liked it very much. Once more, I preferred the book version of the ending. The movie version didn't make as much sense to me, but still, it was done very well, it felt interesting enough and it was entertaining. It was beautifully shot and nicely directed but story-wise the book made much more sense.

****END OF SPOILER SECTION****

I'm not sure how to rate this book since I struggled for about the first half of the book, but I loved the second half and especially the ending. I definitely liked it in the end and the overall feeling was positive and kind of unexpected. The first half feels like 2* and the second half feels like 4*, so I'll have to rate it somewhere in the middle. I'm going to rate it 3,5* because overall I really enjoyed it and the general feeling was positive and in the end, this is the most important for me. I'm going to get on with the prequels since I really enjoyed the trilogy so far. I hope the other two books will be as good!