By Ana
Every book Ana has read, and what she thought of it.
52 books read in 3 languages 3.2 average out of 5
Books read
To Kill a Mockingbird ★ 3.5
Well-written narrative with good characters and a strong sense of period. It needed more focus on the trial and its consequences.
Scout Finch recalls the racial tensions of the American South in Great Depression-era Alabama through the trial of a Black man unjustly accused of assault, heroically defended by her father, lawyer Atticus Finch.
classic fiction, drama
Pet Sematary ★ 4.0
One of Stephen King's best. The plot grips, and the characters, the story and the atmosphere are unforgettable.
After his young son is accidentally struck and killed on a dangerous rural Maine road, Dr. Louis Creed succumbs to grief and defies death by burying the body in a mystical and unsettling forbidden ancient burial ground.
horror, suspense
'Salem's Lot ★ 3.5
A magnificent horror novel with a fresh vampire story that never falls into the genre's usual cliches. A very good ending.
Successful novelist Ben Mears returns to his peaceful hometown of Jerusalem's Lot to write about a sinister, abandoned local mansion, discovering with horror that the community is falling prey to a stealthy plague of ancient vampires.
horror, vampires
Hopeless ★ 2.0
A romance novel that is 100% teenage in subject and register, with characters and dialogue that are hard to follow or identify with unless you're a very specific audience. It adds nothing new to the genre.
Sky, a heavily protected high school student kept away from the internet, enters into an intense and mysterious relationship with a troubled classmate who will unearth a heartbreaking repressed childhood trauma.
romance, drama
It Ends with Us ★ 2.5
A hard story that approaches domestic violence from a less conventional angle. The characters are somewhat flat and it falls into a few unnecessary cliches.
Lily Bloom, an ambitious florist looking to start over in Boston after a childhood marked by paternal domestic violence, must find the strength to permanently break the abusive cycle with her wealthy partner.
romance, drama
The Shining ★ 2.0
A disappointment. A classic of both film and literature, but slow and muddled in a way that never draws you in — every chapter is a slightly different repetition of the last, and the ending is entirely forgettable.
Jack Torrance optimistically takes on the winter maintenance of the colossal and isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, unaware that the premises' supernatural forces will exploit his weaknesses and violent past to drive him into family-targeted homicidal madness.
horror, psychological
The Stand ★ 4.0
A great apocalyptic story, very long but well built, with a huge cast. The mystical, magical side is entirely dispensable to the plot.
The accidental release of a weaponized synthetic flu virus decimates the vast majority of the Earth's population, forcing the few immune survivors to cross paths in two opposing factions headed for an inevitable ethical and spiritual clash.
apocalyptic fiction, horror
The Long Walk ★ 4.0
A dystopian work with good pacing and a well-built ambiguous ending, plus interesting characters and good dialogue. The universe it proposes needed more development.
In a suffocating military dystopia, one hundred boys compete annually in a televised endurance march where stopping or slowing below the mandated pace results in a warning, and accumulating three warnings means immediate death.
dystopia, horror
Crooked Plow ★ 3.5
A great story set in the interior of Bahia, with a hard plot and an interesting approach to women's lives and to religions of African origin. The ambiguous ending may not be to everyone's taste.
It narrates the lives and traditions of two sisters raised on a remote estate in Bahia marked by the precarity of residual estate slavery, where a traumatic inheritance prevents them from expressing the pain of their daily oppression.
contemporary fiction, drama
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels ★ 2.0
Interesting short stories from the world of video games. You have to know the medium for it to hold your interest.
A revealing journalistic chronicle that illustrates the grueling hours, unforeseen technical challenges, and high personal sacrifice that characterize major creative studios responsible for bringing blockbuster video games to market.
non-fiction, journalism
The Legacy ★ 3.0
An interesting story moving between the past and present of an upper-class English family. The historical thread is the strong part; the present-day one is more ambiguous.
Upon returning to Storton Manor after their grandmother's death, Erica and Beth Calcott relive the childhood trauma surrounding the never-solved disappearance of their cousin Henry, uncovering a century-old family history born in the fields of Oklahoma.
historical fiction, mystery
The Emperor's Blades ★ 4.0
For anyone who likes fantasy: great world-building and characters, a good plot and interesting storylines. Highly recommended.
Following the bloody assassination of the Emperor of Annur, his three heirs, trained in lethal and ascetic disciplines in remote corners of the world, must unite to unravel a massive conspiracy before the throne collapses.
epic fantasy
Mr. Mercedes ★ 3.5
The first book of the crime trilogy, with a good mystery and an intriguing antagonist. The closing chapters grip you.
A weary and depressed retired police detective decides to engage in a dangerous game of wits against a psychopathic killer who drove into an unarmed crowd and threatens to unleash an even more devastating mass attack.
police procedural, thriller
Joyland ★ 4.0
A great classic horror-and-mystery story, short and absorbing. A good recreation of the past and a captivating ending.
During the nostalgic summer of 1973 at a coastal North Carolina amusement park, college student Devin Jones takes a temporary job and becomes obsessed with solving the gruesome murder of a girl in the horror house.
mystery, fantasy
Holly ★ 3.0
A first-person crime novel with good development of its protagonist, though the pace tends to lose momentum as the chapters go on. Some of the secondary characters are disposable.
Methodical private investigator Holly Gibney takes on the case to solve the enigmatic disappearance of several young people in a peaceful residential community, uncovering the macabre cannibalistic secret of a respected elderly couple.
mystery, thriller
A Filha do Reich ★ 3.0
A historical novel set in the Second World War, with a good premise and good character development.
An intricate historical drama set in Brazil that examines family secrets and underground post-war Nazi networks after the landing of German fugitives in South American lands at the end of the European conflict.
historical fiction, thriller
Journey to the Center of the Earth ★ 3.0
A timeless classic with an engaging narrative and good pacing overall. It disappoints in its lack of detail and the missed opportunities to explore the world, and in the characters' limited variety and depth.
The stubborn German professor Otto Lidenbrock and his timid nephew Axel descend into the crater of an inactive Icelandic volcano on a daring subterranean geological expedition that will lead them to discover an immense prehistoric ecosystem.
science fiction, adventure
The Hammer of Eden ★ 3.5
An interesting premise dealing with modern hippie communities, how they behave and their troubled internal dynamics. Well-built characters with believable motivations, and a good ending. As often with this author, it leans on a pseudo-scientific premise that could never work in the real world.
A group of radical eco-activists threatens to trigger a devastating earthquake using a stolen high-tech seismograph if authorities insist on proceeding with a dam that will flood their idyllic commune.
thriller, suspense
Sunrise on the Reaping ★ 3.5
A prequel within the Hunger Games universe, heavily constrained by events already known from the earlier books. The plot is fine, but there's no particular spark.
A dystopian young adult prequel set twenty-four years before Katniss Everdeen's journey that details the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, forcing a young Haymitch Abernathy to fight for survival.
dystopia, young adult
In the Tall Grass ★ 2.5
A good book in Stephen King's classic supernatural-horror mode, with a compelling opening and few explanations. The fantastical, cosmological turn makes it worse.
Two siblings pull over after hearing a young boy's desperate cries for help lost in a dense Kansas field, falling into a vegetative trap with atemporal and maddening properties from which escape is impossible.
horror, suspense
Vicious ★ 2.0
A fantasy novel with a good premise, but confusing time jumps and contradictory characters mean it never quite hooks you.
Two ambitious and intellectual college roommates discover that near-death experiences can unlock superhuman abilities, sparking a lethal rivalry of mutual revenge ten years later.
urban fantasy, thriller
The Institute ★ 3.5
A good science fiction story overall, though the author's prose doesn't shine the way it does in other genres. The lead is unconvincing (age versus maturity) and the secondary characters are underdeveloped.
Gifted children with unusual psychic abilities of telepathy or telekinesis are kidnapped by the United States government to be institutionalized in severe scientific facilities where their powers are extracted without mercy.
science fiction, thriller
City of Bones ★ 3.0
An excellent start to the saga, introducing characters and world well. The description of the supernatural beings is a problem, though it's changed in the later books.
An ordinary teenager discovers an astonishing parallel world inhabited by demon hunters invisible to humanity after witnessing a bizarre attack in New York and the sudden kidnapping of her mother from her home.
urban fantasy, young adult
City of Ashes ★ 3.0
A good continuation, with plot twists that keep the tension up.
Clary Fray tries to get her life back on track while the New York Downworld trembles after Valentine returns with the purpose of seizing the Soul Sword to build an army capable of destroying the Council.
urban fantasy, young adult
The Nightingale ★ 4.0
A good novel set in the Second World War, with a very rich depiction of the period and well-drawn characters. The romance is its weak point.
Two French sisters with opposing personalities confront the German occupation during World War II, taking on dangerous underground missions to protect political targets and Jewish children from the barbarism of the Reich.
historical fiction, drama
Captain Alatriste ★ 2.0
A story set in Spain's Golden Age, featuring several well-known historical figures. The dialogue and plot are not for everyone.
Diego Alatriste, a battle-hardened veteran of the Spanish Flanders Tercios wounded in combat, survives as a sword-for-hire in the corrupt and dangerous Golden Age Madrid, becoming entangled in a high-stakes court conspiracy.
historical fiction, adventure
City of Glass ★ 3.5
A great instalment, with an ending that could easily have closed the saga. The secondary characters' arcs move forward, and the action is relentless.
With Valentine's imminent military threat looming over her people, Clary Fray breaks Covenant rules by infiltrating the sacred city of Alicante to locate the spell to wake her mother from a coma.
urban fantasy, young adult
Dungeon Crawler Carl ★ 4.0
An interesting story built in pure Dungeons & Dragons style, with a charismatic lead and a breakneck pace. It suffers a little from a thin world and repetitive structure.
A cold extraterrestrial corporation destroys all human structures on Earth's surface to exploit its resources, forcing the survivors to compete for their lives in a sadistic eighteen-level reality TV show.
science fiction, litrpg
Carl's Doomsday Scenario ★ 4.0
A good continuation, with richer detail about the universe. The plot takes a while to get going.
Military veteran Carl and Princess Donut the prize-winning cat descend to the third level of the global alien dungeon to face deadly hordes of zombie clowns and the strict rules of the space show within a desolate metropolis.
science fiction, litrpg
I Who Have Never Known Men ★ 2.5
A deeply philosophical, spare work set in an enigmatic place. If you like precise detail and description, it can be frustrating.
Forty women confined in an underground cage by unfeeling guards manage to escape after an alarm goes off, beginning a long and sterile journey across an infinite desert plain devoid of any answers.
science fiction, dystopia
City of Fallen Angels ★ 3.5
A book that plays it safe relative to the rest of the saga, but with interesting plot developments. A good continuation.
Following the apparent victory in the Mortal War, the fragile Nephilim peace is mortally threatened in New York when the new daylighter vampire Simon Lewis is hunted by Downworld factions and a series of mysterious murders occurs.
urban fantasy, young adult
City of Lost Souls ★ 3.0
A story that clearly serves as a prologue to the final book of the saga; it doesn't advance the plot much and adds little to the characters. Middling overall.
With Jace's fate indestructibly linked to the evil Sebastian through an unholy rune, Clary Fray infiltrates a dangerous underground network of magic and betrayal to try to rescue her lover's soul.
urban fantasy, young adult
City of Heavenly Fire ★ 4.0
Interesting development for both the characters and the plot overall. It doesn't disappoint.
In the final climax of the New York saga, Clary Fray and her companions-in-arms must enter the demonic realms to stop the apocalyptic advance of the army of darkened Nephilim commanded by her brother Sebastian Morgenstern.
urban fantasy, young adult
Tierra ★ 2.0
An interesting premise, poorly written. Endless cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, and a disappointing resolution.
A journalistic intrigue questions the impact and dehumanization of modern reality television stemming from an old promise made by a media tycoon to his two children, closely connected to an enigmatic contest in Iceland.
thriller, contemporary fiction
The Anomaly ★ 4.5
A good science fiction novel that leaves the reader with interesting philosophical questions. The problem is too many characters, which makes them hard to keep track of. Intriguing ending.
The exact same commercial flight from Paris lands twice consecutively in New York months apart, forcing the United States government to convene scientists and theologians to handle the surreal existence of the exact duplicates.
science fiction, thriller
La Toffana ★ 3.0
A good novel based on historical events, though the author takes considerable liberties. Its weak point is that some characters' outlook and dialogue are far too modern, clashing with the period and the story. Good ending.
A novelistic reconstruction based on real events surrounding the judicial and ecclesiastical trial in 1658 Rome against Giulia Toffana, creator of the undetectable poison Aqua Tofana used by desperate women to rid themselves of abusive husbands.
historical fiction, thriller
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ★ 3.5
Three stories collected into one book, with time jumps between them. New characters and stories in a long-familiar universe, with the same humour and bite as ever. It overdoes the descriptions, which add nothing to the plot.
Three fantasy novellas of chivalry and political drama recounting the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his bold squire Egg in Westeros, a century before the wars for the Iron Throne of the Targaryen dynasty.
heroic fantasy, adventure
Nove mesi con te ★ 4.0
An excellent instructional book on pregnancy, from conception through postpartum — well structured and detailed.
Written by a midwife, this comprehensive and empathetic medical and psychological guide offers clear answers to safely navigate pregnancy, childbirth, and the recovery process of the first postpartum month.
non-fiction, parenting
3,096 Days ★ 4.0
A hard autobiographical account by a kidnapping survivor, narrating more than eight years of captivity. Emotionally difficult to read.
A harrowing first-person account of the author's real-life kidnapping, who at just ten years old was abducted and confined for eight years in a cellar dungeon under the total control of the disturbed Wolfgang Přiklopil.
biography, autobiography
Clockwork Angel ★ 3.5
A good start to the trilogy, in the same vein as the original Shadowhunters saga. The Victorian setting works well. The problem is a few too-obvious similarities between the two sagas, which costs it originality.
Tessa Gray travels to nineteenth-century England in search of her missing brother, finding herself dragged into the dangerous magical London Downworld after discovering she possesses the astonishing supernatural ability to transform into other people.
urban fantasy, young adult
Clockwork Prince ★ 3.5
A solid continuation of the trilogy, focused on the love triangle. Nothing revolutionary — a young adult saga.
In the dark Victorian London Institute, Charlotte's leadership is threatened by political rivalries within the Clave while Tessa investigates the mysteries of her own hybrid nature alongside Shadowhunters Will and Jem.
urban fantasy, young adult
Clockwork Princess ★ 4.0
An interesting end to the plot, with a brisker story, though the resolution is quick and unoriginal. The time jump to the present connects neatly with the other books.
In the conclusion of the Victorian Shadowhunter saga, Tessa Gray's future is threatened by the Magister's automaton armies while her heart is torn definitively between the loyalty and love of her two Nephilim companions.
urban fantasy, young adult
Scythe ★ 2.5
An interesting premise on a somewhat flat story, with a poorly drawn protagonist. More young adult than adult.
In a pain-free, utopian future governed by a benevolent artificial intelligence that has eliminated natural death, two teenagers are chosen against their will to train in the severe and institutionalized guild of Scythes.
dystopia, young adult
The Shadow of the Gods ★ 2.0
Interesting fantasy world-building, but the narrative gets confusing as it moves between characters. It drags.
In a harsh and bloody Norse-inspired land bereft of the protection of the fallen ancient gods, three warriors pursue their own destinies shaped by the brutality of war, slavery, and the power of divine lineages.
epic fantasy
Project Hail Mary ★ 4.5
A wonderful piece of science fiction in the best vein of The Martian. Gripping from the first chapter. Expository without ever becoming tiresome, and with an ending that stays with you. Highly recommended.
Schoolteacher Ryland Grace awakens with total amnesia aboard a spaceship and discovers he is the sole survivor of a critical scientific mission to eradicate a solar microbe that threatens to trigger a total glaciation of Earth.
science fiction
The Seven Sisters ★ 2.0
An interesting story let down by flat, artificial dialogue. It improves when it focuses on the individual story.
Following the death of an enigmatic Geneva millionaire who adopted six girls from different backgrounds, his eldest daughter Maia receives star coordinates that will guide her to Rio de Janeiro in search of her biological identity.
romance, historical fiction
Come d'aria ★ 3.0
A brutally hard biographical account of a mother and her disabled daughter, written in the first person. Intimate. Not for everyone.
A deeply moving and honest autobiographical memoir about motherhood, somatic pain, and loss, in which the author chronicles the difficult daily life alongside her severely disabled daughter while facing aggressive terminal breast cancer.
memoirs, drama
La portalettere ★ 4.0
Quality writing, immersive across several eras, and rich in characters and situations. Highly recommended.
Set in a conservative town in the southern region of Salento starting in 1934, it chronicles the daily struggles of Anna, a woman from the north who decides to defy local patriarchal conventions by becoming the town's first female mail carrier.
historical fiction
Crooked House ★ 2.5
An interesting take on the classic detective mystery, but the characters are overly theatrical and cartoonish, and the ending is rushed.
The wealthy patriarch of Greek origin Aristides Leonides is poisoned with his own dose of insulin inside his eccentric and claustrophobic family mansion, forcing his granddaughter's fiancé to secretly cooperate with Scotland Yard to unmask the culprit.
mystery, police procedural
The Wall ★ 3.5
A good dystopian story with interesting twists and turns, though the characters are flat, the world is thin and the ending is somewhat disappointing.
In a disturbing and frigid dystopia marked by climate collapse and the rise of border fortifications, a young soldier patrols an immense concrete wall to prevent the entry of desperate refugees coming from the sea.
science fiction, dystopia
The City & the City ★ 1.0
A good premise completely ruined by an insufferable narrative, badly written dialogue and a vague, boring ending. Hard to get through.
Inspector Tyador Borlú investigates a political murder that requires him to cross the surreal, heavily policed borders of Besźel and Ul Qoma, two cities physically overlapping in the same geographic space.
speculative fiction, police procedural
The Time Traveler's Wife abandoned★ 1.5
An interesting premise for a love story mixed with the supernatural, but it never quite gets going enough to draw the reader in.
It chronicles the unusual, complex, and tragic romantic journey between Clare Abshire and her husband Henry DeTamble, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to involuntarily time-travel to his past and future.
science fiction, romance
No books match.