Skulduggery Series (Books 1-5)

Picture:Wikipedia

The first two words that come to mind: witty and funny. This story is not just wizards with sticks shouting in some incomprehensible language. You've got more than just spells and the cliché vampires and zombies. Every character is unique, with its own interesting abilities and personality. I find this series much more interesting than any other magic story. Every creature is being developed in a different way, being at the same time given not only good but also bad, sometimes reaching evil, features. 

Honestly, I read the first book three times, because I wouldn't take it seriously. To me it was just a children's book. But then I realized I was a child once too and I could identify myself with a young girl who would love to be part of something so unreal, dangerous, new and fun. 

One of the main characters is a teenage girl, who goes through a huge transformation. At first she is just a little girl, not sure how to control or understand her powers, let alone the amazing new magical world she steps into. 

Picture:Goodreads

 At first everything is exciting and thrilling and cool. The idea to have a double, while being on the way to your next big adventure, would appeal to anybody, I'm sure. But very quickly things get serious and a little too dark: her chest had to be literally opened in order to lock her real wizardry name. Which is why I love this series. This is a good premise to turn each character into something a little bit more. Valkiria and Skulduggery are the main point around which the story develops and Valkiria as the new kid in town seems to grow a little too fast. Soon she gets more aware of the real world, missing her parents, friends meetings, boys attention. This leads to a mix up of her both worlds, which just takes the plot to a new level. Every time you think everything is over, there's nowhere more this could take you, the writer sends you to a new journey. 

There's so much happening in the first 5 books that I don't even want to try to tell you a bit. It is just impossible to describe each and every character, his powers and stories. You are on your own here. Let yourself get lost into the world of constant surprises, real fights, inflammable chasing and above all pure magical experience.

"The Address" by Fiona Davis

Picture: Amazon

This is the second book I read by this author. After The Dollhouse, I thought it could not get better but guess what, it got much better. There's everything in this novel, historical New York City, a secret to reveal, personal challenges to overcome and the best of all such emotional feelings, that make you feel exhausted, as if you got through them. In present days it is still difficult for people to show their feelings openly, imagine what was it like 200 years ago with the difference in the classes, the opinion on women's place, the etiquette which everybody had to consider and most of all having an affair with someone from the staff while being well-married. Despite all that two beautiful people, being almost constantly together, but divided by society's critical eye, can't help but fall in love and make it look so pure. After diving into the story and swimming through it like being in a wonderful dream, you can't help but feel betrayed at the end. You would think that what's happening is just unfair, too cruel and too real to be happening to them, to you. But eventually everything falls in the right place, Sara sacrifices herself in the name of the well being of her son, along with knowing that she doesn't have much time left, which justifies her decision of taking someone else's guilt. It's a lovely story of ambition, of creating the glamorous city of New York, of love and loss, of taking and giving.

"The Dollhouse" by Fiona Davis

Picture: Amazon

I wanted to read this book for so long that now I'm sorry I didn't do it earlier. The story is so well written, it takes you flawlessly through the two eras that it describes. Every character is so rich and well developed that it makes you feel a part of their own lives. The life of two women at the same place but at different times turns out to be a great plot for a touching story. Darby McLaughlin has a very exciting life, at least for the first couple of months of her life in New York. Her story is rich and full of emotions that you can't help it but to fall in love with her. Her first experience with the big city is am example if every woman who went through it too. Her first encounter with popular modeling girls is what every teenage girl feels when dealing with such people. Her first love, a boy so perfect that even makes you fall in love with him, is exactly what goes in every girl or woman's heart. ( Here, I have to admit, my eyes got watery at the end when their relationship came to reveal itself). Rose's story is almost similar but taking place almost 50 years later, although she already had her big and bad times in the Big Apple, she already had her big love, who, by the way, turned out to be a real politician. Once his interests became more important than love, love, as well as any compassion, ceased to exist. After all the failures that Rose went through, Darby's life was the thing that gave her hope and meaning to keep working, living and letting new feelings come into her life. And that's what I really loved in this book: its representation of women. Even though they were (and are) underestimated and supposed to know their place (always there for the man), these two women show the readers that you can achieve something good and positive, despite the difficulties. I don't have enough words to describe how this book makes you feel, you need to experience it and let yourself sink into every detail of it. P. S. I didn't forget Esme of course. This ambitious girl, always fighting for what she wants, will make you ignore all her imperfections and show you how a woman should strive to get what she needs and wishes.