I’m so happy for another book with the best couple in the Shadowhunter world – Magnus and Alex, a.k.a Malec. I loved the first book in The Eldest Curses series and pre-ordered this one as soon as it was possible. This time, the book takes place about three years after The Red Scrolls of Magic, so it’s a significant time jump, and what’s more, Alec and Magnus have become parents!

“If you died,” [Alec] said, “a part of me would die too. So remember, Magnus. It’s not just your life. It’s my life too.”

I really enjoyed this book, and seeing Alec and Magnus as parents made my heart warm and fuzzy, but the thing keeping me from rating it five stars is the plot. It was quite weak this time, there was nothing exciting or entirely unique about it compared to other books, and the part taking place in Diyu dragged a little too much. I’d also wish to know more about the villain, Shinyun, but we didn’t get much more insights there and she still felt not that well-developed. But I’m not complaining really, I got enough Malec to make me happy plus baby Max (so cute!) and the old TMI squad was back, fiercer than ever, to save the day.
 
“It’s going to be fine,” Jace said. “We’re going to save the day again. It’s what we do.”
 
So, a strong four-star-read even though I wasn’t head over heels for it, and I’m eagerly awaiting the third book! 

Rating:
4 stars

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Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters

This is an awkward, heartwarming, moving and authentic YA novel about first love and its confusions. It has one of the most insightful and honest portraits of a shy, socially weird and sheltered teenager with body issues I’ve ever read. I immediately rooted for the protagonist Natalie, but oh my, there were so many times I blushed and squealed at all the embarrassing things she did. 

I didn’t always understand and agree with the choices Natalie made or how she reacted, but I’m so glad that she was allowed to completely be herself that way. She’s the introvert, insecure yet incredibly brave and honest heroine that we didn’t know we all needed.

In fact, all the characters were so authentic and relatable in their challenges, their questioning minds and their way of embracing life. They all had real-life problems with anxiety, lack of confidence, bad judgment and heart-break. And the romance was definitely not a cliché one, it was just as raw, realistic and gloriously awkward as the rest of this wonderful book.

“Every second of this is terrible and confusing and wonderful, and I love it and hate it in equal measures.”

All in all, It Sounded Better in My Head is a must read about the vulnerable state of finding yourself and taking the first step to adulthood.

Rating:
​4 stars

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Nina Kenwood

Checkmate is the third book in Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses series taking place in an alternative universe, where people of color called “Crosses” are the dominant rulers, with “Noughts”, people of European origin, as a despised underclass. I loved the first book, it really blew me away with the way it turned history around and the dramatic, gripping, emotional, shocking and tragic and with the beautiful love story, and had such hopes for this third book to make up for the disappointment with the second book. But sadly not. It was even harder in this book to get into the story and to root for the characters.

The story was not only told from different POVs, but also through the past and present with glimpses into Callie Rose’s upbringing and Sephy’s struggle to tell her about her father. All this switching back and forth in time, made it very fragmented, and it felt like every time the story was about to get interesting, it switched to another character or timeline. And just like in the second book, the story and characters were all so bitter, twisted and full of hate. They all kept making bad decisions and messing any chance to happiness up. Jude was still such a two-dimensional character, and Sephy still felt very childish and selfish and not behaving like a mother. It was interesting with Callie Rose though and I would have loved for the whole, or at least most part, of the story to be told from her POV. Also, the ending was hopeful, which was a big plus.

I still hope that I will finish the series one day and that I will like the two remaining books better, but for now I will need to take a break from it. Which feels so sad, because I loved the premises so much going into this series and I still believe the main theme is an important and unique one. So, I’m generously giving this book a 2.5 stars rating, rounding up to three based on the overall way this series turns history on its head, and pinpoints racism and injustice.

Rating:
3 stars

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​Author info:
Malorie Blackman