Invisible- Book Review

 by James Patterson & David Ellis

When it comes to crime I am definitely the most picky one out there. Despite my absolute over excitement to read a piece of thrilling mysteries and rather certain blood baths, it is quite a challenge for an author to really draw me in. And since previously Patterson did quite well on this task, it was not inappropriate at all to take a novel filled with brutal murders, raging fires and quite graphic descriptions on a peaceful ''by the lake'' vacation (yes, that's how long I've been procrastinating this post!)

Publisher: Arrow Books

Publication date: 2014

No. of pages: 468

Genre: Crime, thriller, mystery

Main Character: Emmy Dockery- FBI researcher 

Setting: All over USA

Recommendation: Women, aged 25 +

Cover Rate: 4/10

Story Rate: 6/10

Emmy Dockery, a workaholic FBI researcher, has for the passed year been obsessed in one particular subject; the connection between her sister's death and dozens of other ''accidental'' fires happening all over the US. Everyone thinks she's crazy, and her suspense from work doesn't exactly help in proving her point. A serial killer is out there, carefully choosing his next victims, victims that have things in common and Emmy is the only one who spots the pattern. It's just the matter of convincing her colleagues to search down the bad guy, but how can she when non of them believe her?

Likes

In certain cases of my novel lists it's quite impossible to state why I liked a certain lecture. Some just seem to drag me in naturally, as if they exist out there for this purpose only. Of course I could ramble on about the amazing techniques, that make reading a hell lot easier; super short chapters, brilliant writing skills and ability to make any fiction become a reality. All which are an obvious characteristic and recognition sign to Patterson's works.

But what really made my enthusiasm and enjoyment to grow, was the fact that Invisible not only gave the perspective of the ''good guys'' chasing a person who's portrayed as evil since the blurb, but also the mischievous mind of the killer itself, really making the entire plot come to life. 

For the first time, not only have the characters find themselves tricked and played-on. It would be fair enough to say the reader is technically lied to throughout the whole book and once the last pages start to turn themselves, the Oh My Gods just flow out for endless hours. Of course I felt like a damn proud FBI worker when I figured what was going on before anyone else. Obviously, this reaction was intended, and certain details have been put in for the purpose of the readers' excitement of the discovery, but let's face it, this is the part why we love crime. 

Dislikes 

One that always chops of my head and flushes remains down the drain before I even begin reading is the use of present tense. I don't think I'll ever stress out enough on how much I hate this style of writing. Whilst reading, I really do love to feel as a psychologist, listening to the problem my patient has been through and his amazing story that happened in the past. Reading books set in present gives more of the''I'm in a mental house, my dinner buddy is talking to herself pretending she's out and free'' feeling, if you get what I mean.

The story has also been really 'only-one- problem' centered. I haven't really found another issue develop in the middle, it was just based on who the killer is through the whole script. Even though I liked to see into the real side of work at the FBI, I feel like there might have been a bit too much focus on that aspect. The book, in my opinion, would have benefited a lot from having more ''out off office and non police talk'' chapters. 

  

Overall 

I won't lie, it really was a self page turner. It drew me in, I felt some kind of connection with the characters and definitely was a nice thing to spend time on during boating. It's a good crime novel, with realistic plot and interesting story line, one worth reading. 

I would not re-read it, I would not think about what happens next before going to bed and I've clearly not grew some deep, long-lasting affection to it. However, as a one night stand it is definitely recommendable and a simple piece of some damn good thriller. 

Another Drugstore Beauty Craze

Hello peeps,

so for a number of days/weeks back I've been to some ''little'' shopping sprees down town and happened to actually gather quite a collection of drugstore beauty products. It isn't quite a haul post, I suppose, as I didn't really go out and scoop it all into my bag at once, it just so happened that in a duration of a month my bathroom shelf filled from half-full to overflowing, and I'm just treating this as a short post of few new things that you could find in my room :)

1. Ziaja Active BB Cream (I'm liking it so far)

2. Garnier Micellar Water (always & forever ultimate no.1!)

3. Garnier Moisture Match Goodbye Dry (repurchased just for the season of dry skin and hot chocolate :D)

4. Pantene Split Ends Serum (enjoying using it after wash on wet hair but we'll see about the long term effects yet)

5. Rimmel Oh My Gloss *Stay My Rose* (not my favourite tone but nice hydration)

6. Garnier Neo Deodrant (really love the texture!)

7. Bourjois Volume Glamour Push Up Mascara (used it aprrox. 3 times and it disappointed me.... not worth its price :/)

8. Bourjois  1 Second Gel Nailpolish *Meli Melon* (love at first sight which happened to be deceiving. The colour changes once on nails to this rotten looking orange and it takes absolutely ages to dry properly! It does last for long though)

9. Eveline Diamond Hard and Shiny Nails Conditioner (OMG... This saves my nail life over and over again! I use this for over two years now and I can't stop raving about it and repurchasing it!)

10. Eveline miniMax Nail Polish *935 (light purple-y shade)* (had it on for the last four days. The colour changes to pink but it's so easy to apply, dries quickly, seems long lasting and is actually so damn pretty!) 

11. Golden Rose Express Dry Nail Polish *(Vibrant Red Shade)* (didn't really use this yet, I do admit it was the 'impulse buy' case scenario as I was desperate for red at the time ... too bad I no longer am...oops)

And that is all for today! Fingers crossed that some of these will find themselves in monthly favourites soon enough :D Do let me know if you tried these before and what do you think (especially about the ones I'm not too pleased with as of first impression) and I'll write again very soon :)

Love,

-k.

My Insta Gurus

Hello peeps,

I so badly wanted to write this post for such a long time now, I can't believe I finally put my mind to it! 

It probably is one of the most popular posts that exists out there, but at the same time one of my favourite excuses to avoid business homework on Saturday mornings. And so, it is quite obvious that I wanted to share my own absolute fave instagram profiles that I love to follow, which add a bit of beauty and life to the typical Irish autumn weather..bohoo :'(

1. DAYOFREST

An awesome corner of art on the internet with an equally creative blog which I recently discovered :)

2. CAY_MAE

Simplicity, creativeness and minimal touch of joy in every picture <3

3. NIOMISMART

One of my favourite bloggers/youtubers out there; fashion, food, travel... this girl has it all.

4. CRACCOLA

First of all, totally unrelated maybe in a slight bit, question; anyone else is freaking the hell out of excitement for Vampire Diaries to air back on next Thursday?! Yeep...

And just while we're at it, Candice's insta account in which she literally makes every day-to-day life look like a pro photo! 

5. MEGHANRIENKS

Unquestionable queen of instagram-ers AND my definite make-up guru ^_^

6. LILYJCOLLINS

Before I say anything else, can I just ramble on about how much I admire her as an actress? My no.1 selfie pro under the 'sophistication' category <3

7. KENDALLJENNER

An obvious thing but when it comes to fashion, here's the place where I'll always search <3

8. IRISHDOODLER

My motivation and inspiration during times of crisis when art homework has to be done for the next day!

Leave me links down below so I can check out the people you love to follow out there and just before I wrap this up, I do apologize for not updating in such a long time! Gosh, I missed this :)

Love,

-k.

Yves Rocher- haul & first impression review

Hello peeps,

as summer days are coming to an end, I thought it was a perfect time for a little, beauty shopping spree. This past month I have been particularly loving the Yves Rocher stores and their amazing offers, and so here I have five new products I purchased only a few days/weeks back along with a short first impression review. 

1. Sensitive Vegetal: Anti-Redness Moisturizing Cream

£9.90 (on sale)

My skin gets very dehydrated and sensitive in winter which accompanies really annoying redness on my face caused by the slightest change in temperature- that is; walking from an arctic cold classroom into a desert hot school corridor. For a while now I've been searching for something to reduce the sensitivity of my skin and thought to try out this cream. I used it only twice, in the mornings, and so far I'm liking it and have big hopes for it. It sinks in really quickly, has a super light formula and I can actually feel it cool my cheeks down. You'll definitely hear from me about this product in the nearest future with either a positive or negative review, so keep an eye out. 

2. Hydra Vegetal- Refreshing Radiance Scrub 

£5.00 (on sale)

This was actually the reason for my shopping at Yves Rocher. I love experimenting with various facial scrubs and really wanted to give this one a go. From my first use I actually didn't see or feel any difference on my skin, however. But so far I can say it isn't harsh and doesn't dry my skin out even more. I'll continue using it twice a week, as recommended and keep you guys updated whether I like it or not.

3. Hydra Vegetal- Intense Hydrating Mask

£6.50 (on sale)

I only used this a couple of times but I'm pretty certain I'll be loving it. Basically, apply it twice a week, leave on for 5 minutes and wipe down the excess using a cotton pad. However, the lady in the store said you don't actually have to remove it and just go to sleep with it on, which is exactly what I did. Again, very light consistency that absorbs quickly and leaves my face super soft in the morning! It's a perfect mask for me as I never seem to have time during school year to bother with face masks at 11pm :P

4. Coconut Lip Balm

£1.90 (on sale)

Okay, this on was actually kind of ''pushed in'' (quite literally). The lady at the till said ''oh, you only need to spend this and that more to get an extra stamp on your card, maybe a lip balm?'' and I just went, ''okay toss it in, I need one anyway'' (I actually did and it's not like it costs a fortune). But, it has disappointed me, big time. Yes, it does smell and taste amazing, but once it absorbs into the lips, they feel twice as dry as they were in the beginning. I'll keep it in the pocket of my school blazer because it is really handy, but I don't see myself repurchasing it again :/

5. Low ShamPoo- Delicate Cleansing Cream

£3.50 (ON SALE)

This is the one I'm most excited about. If you haven't heard about the ''no poo'' (no shampoo) method of washing your hair, it translates quite literally. It's a current trend, started in the US, where you wash your hair with only water or apple vinegar. And thanks to Yves Rocher, people who are not as brave to take up the challenge (like me) now have a shampoo which doesn't contain either sulfate or silicone (chemicals which in fact may damage the structure of the hair and act harshly on the scalp) and so it also doesn't foam and is very delicate. 

I got it two weeks ago and have been using it since. My feelings are mixed. One way I love that it's a natural way of washing my hair, they look really shiny and healthy and it's quite easy to get used to the non-foaming formula.

The other I really dislike how I have to wash my hair twice under the shower to avoid greasy strands in the morning and pay attention as to whether my entire head has been washed or not. 

But I am aware the high temperatures outside are causing my hair to get greasy a lot quicker so I'm going to keep using it throughout autumn and see how it works for me.

Okie dokie, that is it. By the way, am I the only one feeling excited to go back to school? Please tell me I haven't gone nuts :P 

I would really love to hear if you've used any of these before or what your most recent beauty purchases are so do let me know down in the comments and I hope you have a lovely week ahead :)

love,

-k.

Mini, monthly book haul

Hello peeps,

one thing there's always space for on my shelves are definitely books. I can never have enough, even if my reading list extends beyond possible to find time for within the school year. And since I managed to save up some money I decided to spend them on some new novels to add to my collection.

As I'm currently in Poland I obviously purchased all of the above in Polish but am still more than excited to share them with you.

1.

First of my buys is titled Margo, The Dangerous Island by Janusz Onufrowicz  that is in fact a Polish author. It has not been translated into English, which I personally think is a shame. I've already read down few chapters which I have been enjoying. It's a very light and easy read, full of action and sarcastic dialogues.

The plot is about a ten year old Margo who's sold by her parents and lands in a deserted castle under the watchful eye of a psychopath guardian Mona Many. She's basically one hell of a piece of work and tries the best she cans to escape.

I feel like the novel is mostly aimed for children but since I had nothing else to grab on whilst away on holiday I thought this would be nice adventurous read for the summer.

2.

The second book translates to Autumn Rose from The Dark Heroine series by Abigail Gibbs. I have absolutely been mad about the first part ''Dinner with a vampire'' and wanted the sequel since it was released on January of the previous year. 

It is obviously a vampire story, but a one that I feel is actually something more original. When 17 year old Violet Lee is kidnapped by a group of blood suckers she enters a completely unknown world of extravagance, wealth and old fashioned parties. There is no escape and the passion she grows for the dangerous Kaspar Varn deepens with each encounter. 

I haven't started on the Autumn Rose yet but I really want to know how the story continues on and what will Gibbs surprise me with this time :)

3.

Last but least, I have borrowed The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown from my step mother, who has recommended for me to read it so much, the first thing I did after returning home was taking it and sitting down to read. 

I've never seen the movie which made me even more encouraged to read it, especially because so many people have talked about it all around me and I never really thought of actually grabbing it as a lecture. It's a good book to read for everyone, but because I'm a HUGE crime/mystery/thriller lover it is absolutely fascinating and I can't step away from it.

I'd love to know what new novels you have purchased or have been enjoying recently and know what's worth giving a go out there :) Please leave me a comment down below and I'll write again soon.

Love,

-k.