The Alpha Drive

The Alpha Drive

author: Kristen Martin

published: November 14th 2015

pages: 322

my rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Thanks netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review!

It's the year 2055 and an anarchist organization has taken control with the aim to create a world-class society. Half of humankind is unknowingly living in an alternate reality called Dormance . . . and there are no plans to wake them up.

Sixteen-year-old introvert Emery Parker is one such dormant. An academic scholar who avoids ruffling feathers at all costs, Emery finds herself being transferred to a boarding school on the outskirts of Arizona. Little does she know, a family secret has the power to change the course of the future. When she's approached with an opportunity to free the dormants, she sees no other choice but to accept, even though failure could mean having her memory wiped clean.

But when tech-savvy Torin Porter reaches out to her from the other side, Emery begins to question everything she was told about Dormance. If her family's secret falls into the wrong hands, the world as she knows it will be faced with irreversible consequences. Now Emery must play both sides to uncover the truth about her family's past or risk leaving mankind to live in an unconscious reality.

I picked up this book because it sounded like something original and fun and even though I didn't understand everything on the summary I hoped to get more explanations while I was reading it. Unfortunately though, this book wasn't for me at all. 

Sapphire Blue (book + movie review)

Sapphire Blue
author: Kerstin Gier
published: January 5th 2010
pages: 357
my rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Warning: this review may contain spoilers for ruby red (the first book)

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.


This was a reread for me and exactly like the other times I read it, I really loved this book. I also read this book in German since that's it's original language.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Tales of Beedle the Bard
author: J.K. Rowling
published: December 4th 2008
pages: 109
my rating: 4 out of 5 stars


The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers’ attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger’s new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J. K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales: “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart,” “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump,” and of course, “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” But not only are they the equal of fairy tales we now know and love, reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.


I obviously love Harry Potter and so I was more than excited to read this companion book that is introduced as a story book for children in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And it did not let me down. Of course it's not comparable to Harry Potter at all but I still love everything that takes place in the wizarding world.

Highly Illogical Behavior

Highly Illogical Behavior
author: John Corey Whaley
published: May 10th 2016
pages: 256
my rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn’t left the house in three years, which is fine by him.

Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she’s being realistic). But is ambition alone enough to get her in?

Enter Lisa.

Determined to “fix” Sol, Lisa steps into his world, along with her charming boyfriend, Clark, and soon the three form an unexpected bond. But, as Lisa learns more about Sol and he and Clark grow closer and closer, the walls they’ve built around themselves start to collapse and their friendships threaten to do the same.


Yay, I read book one of the BookTube-A-Thon Challenge! And I really liked this book too! I haven't read many books about mental health but this was definitely a good start.

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10
author: Ruth Ware
published: June 30th 2016
pages: 352
my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thanks netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was meant to be the perfect trip.
The Northern Lights. A luxury press launch on a boutique cruise ship.
A chance for travel journalist Lo Blackwood to recover from a traumatic break-in that has left her on the verge of collapse, and to work out what she wants from her relationship.
Except things don’t go as planned.
Woken in the night by screams, Lo rushes to her window to see a body thrown overboard from the next door cabin. But the records show that no-one ever checked into that cabin, and no passengers are missing from the boat.
Exhausted, emotional and increasingly desperate, Lo has to face the fact that her sleep problems might be driving her mad or she is trapped on a boat with a murderer – and she is the sole witness..

I liked this book from the very beginning I started reading it. Before reading it, I had no idea what it was about but I had heard some good things about the author so I really wanted to read it.

BookTube-A-Thon tbr

I decided to participate in the BookTube-A-Thon, the second read-a-thon I will have participated in. The first was a bit of a fail I only managed to read three books instead of the planned five. But since I am four books behind on my goodreads reading challenge and this sounded fun I just decided to give it a go. 

Here are the challenges and the books I chose for each of them:

1. book with yellow on the cover – the Alpha Drive by Kristen Martin
2. read a book only after sunset – We Awaken by Calista Lynne
3. book you discovered through book tube – Highly Illogical Behaviour by John Corey Whaley
4. book by a favorite author – Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
5. book that is older than you – Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
6. read and watch a book to movie adaptation – Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
7. read a total of 7 books – The Merciless by Danielle Vega

Sorry for the bad image positioning, but I'm having some problems moving them the way I wan't to.

The Challenge starts on Monday the 18th and finished on Sunday the 24th. I probably won't complete all of the challenges but I'll try nonetheless.

Mr Mercedes

Mr Mercedes
author: Stephen King
published: June 3rd 2014
pages: 436
my rating: 5 out of 5 stars



In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the "perk" and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again.

Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

This is definitely my favourite Stephen King book yet (I only read three but still). Even though it took me forever to finish, it was really gripping and I was definitely invested in the story.