Pooka In My Pantry (seria A Monster Haven Story, volumul 2) – R.L. Naquin
Editura: Carina Press
Data publicare: 25 martie 2013
Numar pagini: 236
Sinopsis:
Zoey Donovan – empata, organizatoare de nunti si prima persoanala care apeleaza monstrii cu probleme – a fost de doua ori pe lista Mortii. In ambele ocazii, Riley, reaper-ul fermecator a refuzat sa respecte ordinul. Pentru incalcarea protocolului, Riley este acum intr-o perioada de proba. Pentru refuzul ei de a muri conform programului, dreptul lui Zoey de a trai este contestat. Ea va trebui sa faca fata unei provocari pe viata si pe moarte, insa nu stie cand sau unde va avea loc aceasta.
Sa ramana in viata ar fi putut sa nu fie atat de dificil daca Mafia Spiridusilor nu ar hoinari prin oras. Acum fiecare patron de afacere cu cea mai micuta conexiune cu comunitatea supranaturala este amenintat cu cel mai infiorator ghinion daca nu isi platesc taxa. Oglinzile se sparg, trupurile incep sa cada iar Zoey inca mai are clienti care isi asteapta mostrele de material.
Cu putin noroc, ar putea sa fie in stare sa ii salveze pe toti si inca sa ii mai ramana timp pentru o a doua incercare de a avea o prima intalnire cu reaper-ul ei favorit.
Parerea mea:
Daca anul trecut, pe cand citeam primul volum al acestei serii eram inca nesigura daca sa indraznesc sa o numesc astfel, dupa inca un volum, plus o scurta povestioara satelit, acum pot spune fara pic de indoiala ca seria A Monster Haven Story este una dintre cele mai bune povesti pe care le-am citit vreodata!
Cred ca de data aceasta, nu actiunea este neaparat cea care mi-a ridicat entuziasmul la cote maxime. Nu intelegeti gresit, nu spun ca actiunea nu este captivanta sau ca intriga este slaba. Dimpotriva. Insa sunt alte aspecte care au facut ca povestea creata de R.L. Naquin sa ma impresioneze atat de mult. In primul rand, citind volumul de fata, mi-am amintit ca ani de zile am fost convinsa ca exista un univers paralel in care exista absolut fiecare fiinta magica pe care ne-o imaginam si fiecare idee nastrusnica ce ne trece prin cap. Mi se parea imposibil ca toate creaturile ce se nasc in mintea noastra si toti prietenii imaginari pe care ni-i creem in copilarie sa ramana doar in imaginatia noastra. Nu, ei au cu siguranta o lume a lor, in care apar si raman imediat dupa ce noi ii creem.Trebuie sa fie asa, altfel universul ar fi extrem de trist, plictisitor si neinteresant.. Iar comunitatea de fiinte supranaturale descrisa de autoare in A Monster Haven Story mi-au readus in minte acea lume a creaturilor incredibile. Exista ceva atat de firesc in existenta lor, atat de natural si lipsit de exagerari incat din momentul in care incepi sa citesti povestea, iti recapeti o parte din sufletul de copil pe care il credeai pierdut.
Al doilea aspect care m-a fascinat este modul in care sunt construite personajele, emotiile, sentimentele ce se revarsa din interactiunile lor si modul in care se creeaza relatiile dintre ele. Cred ca nici atunci cand citeam cate o poveste de dragoste incarcata de romantism si profunzime, afectiunea, grija si tandretea nu curgeau din acea carte asa cum o fac din volumele seriei A Monster Haven Story. De nenumarate ori esti pur si simplu „infofolit” in emotii surprinzator de tandre si de reale. Iar autoarea reuseste sa iti transmita toate aceste lucruri fara sa le mentioneze aproape niciodata direct. Nu are nevoie sa exprime clar fiecare emotie, ci isi captiveaza cititorii doar prin expunerea unor actiuni simple, a unor gesturi marunte sau a catorva replici aparent banale.
Volumul al doilea al seriei, Pooka In My Pantry, a fost desavarsit! Desi l-as fi devorat in doar cateva ore, l-am citit cat de incet am putut (probabil nu mai mult de 40-50 de pagini pe zi), tocmai ca sa prelungesc cat mai mult placerea lecturii. Si a fost de-a dreptul perfect! Recunosc, de-a lungul a cateva capitole am trecut prin niste emotii teribile, intrucat personajul meu preferat… pleaca! Are cateva probleme de rezolvat si dispare din scena, fara sa anunte exact cate zile/capitole va dura misiunea sa. Si daca tot am ajuns sa vorbesc despre Maurice, nu pot sa nu mentionez un lucru care m-a luat prin surprindere. Probabil fiecare cititor se indragosteste la un moment dat de cate un personaj. Bineinteles ca de-a lungul atator ani de cand citesc, am avut timp sa adun vreo 5 personaje masculine pe care le pot incadra instant in categoria „book crush”. Nu doar ca au fost asa la momentul la care am citit cartea, dar au si ramas pana in prezent. Maurice nu m-a cucerit in sensul acesta. Dar am descoperit citind Pooka in My Pantry ca niciodata, nici macar atunci cand ma indragosteam de cate un protagonist, nu mi-am dorit mai tare ca acum ca un personaj sa se transpuna in realitate! Sau sa ma trezesc eu brusc in lumea imaginata in carte.
Insa nu numai Maurice este un personaj realizat in mod impecabil. Restul personajelor secundare au portrete la fel de bine construite, iar senzatia de ansamblu este ca ai da orice sa te trezesti tu in locul – sau alaturi de Zoey. Firul narativ este surprinzator, de cele mai multe ori nu ai idee cum va evolua povestea, iar banuielile iti sunt rapid demontate. Atunci cand crezi ca stii ce se va intampla mai departe, apare un nou personaj sau are loc o intamplare care iti rastoarna presupunerile. Misterul devine tot mai incalcit, iar rezolvarea pare sa fie din ce in ce mai complicata. Iar finalul este uimitor! Trecand putin intr-o nota steampunk prin secretele pe care le afla protagonista, incheierea ofera un suflu nou si surprinzator seriei si te lasa visand la urmatorul volum. Mi-a placut si faptul ca desi problemele au de data aceasta o gravitate mult mai mare si se ridica la un nivel mai inalt, situatia la nivel individual este una optimista. Zoey nu mai are o lupta personala de dus, ci este un element cheie intr-un razboi major. Insa are de data aceasta o plasa de siguranta bine ancorata: un grup de prieteni dragi si devotati care ii vor sta alaturi orice ar fi, o iubire ce poate sa infloreasca fara sa mai fie intrerupta de diferite evenimente macabre si o intreaga comunitate de fiinte supranaturale care o vor ajuta fara indoiala atunci cand va fi timpul.
Nu voi scrie aici „bile albe” si „bile negre”. Pentru ca intreaga lectura a fost atat de delicioasa si fascinanta incat ar trebui sa mentionez fiecare element utilizat in constructia povestii. In plus, de data aceasta chiar nu am gasit nici un aspect care sa ma nemultumeasca.
Ceea ce va mai spun in incheiere este ca astfel de carti sunt cele care transforma lectura dintr-o placere intr-o nevoie: romanele care te fac sa visezi asa cum nu ai mai facut-o de ani intregi, de cand erai copil si imposibilul nu avea nevoie decat de o scanteie minuscula pentru a deveni posibil; care iti schimba starea de spirit intr-o secunda; care sterg realitatea din jur si o inlocuiesc cu scenele magice din poveste si care te fac sa iti doresti cu tot sufletul ca intr-o zi, sa devii tu insuti un personaj de acolo; care devin aproape personale, pentru ca te influenteaza mai mult decat au facut-o zeci de carti de-a lungul anilor. Pot sa numar pe degete romanele care au reusit sa treaca acest prag si care imi vor ramane mereu lecturi de suflet. Iar seria A Monster Haven Story a intrat in aceasta categorie de povesti, asa ca este evident de ce v-o recomand cu atat de multa caldura.
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English version:
If last year, when I was reading the first novel in this series I was still unsure if I should dare to name it like this, now – after a sequel and a short story, I can say without doubt that A Monster Haven Story series is one of the best stories I’ve ever read!
I think this time, it’s not the action that grew my enthusiasm to maximum limits. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the action is not fascinating or that the plot is weak. On the contrary! But there are other reasons why these books impressed me this much. First, it’s the fact that reading this sequel I remembered that for years I believed that there is a parallel universe populated by every magical being we imagine and every crazy idea we have. It seemed impossible that all those creatures born in our mind and all those imaginary friends we create when we are children could only live in our imagination. No, they surely have their own world where they appear and live since the first moment we create them. It has to be like this, otherwise the universe would be extremely sad, boring and uninteresting. And the community of supernatural beings described by the author in A Monster Haven Story reminded me of that world of incredible creatures. There’s something so natural in their existence, so casual and normal that when you start reading the story, you get back a part of the soul you had as a child and thought it was lost forever.
The second thing that fascinated me is the way the author builds the characters, their emotions, the feelings that grow from their interactions and the relations created between them. I think that not even when I was reading love stories full of romance and depth, the affection, care and tenderness weren’t flowing from those books the way they are flowing from the novels written by R.L. Naquin. During so many moments, you are completely „wrapped” in emotions that are surprisingly tender and real. And the author is able to offer you all these things without even mentioning them directly. She doesn’t need to express clearly every emotion, she only engages her readers with simple actions, tiny gestures or some common replies.
This sequel, Pooka in My Pantry was flawless! Even if I really, really wished to devour it in just a few hours, I actually read it as slow as I could (probably no more than 40 or 50 pages per day), only to prolong the happiness. And it really was a perfect story! I have to confess, during a few chapters, I was terrified. Because my favorite character… leaves! He has some problems to solve and he disappears, without mentioning exactly how many days/chapters he’ll be missing. And if we’re talking about Maurice, I have to mention something that surprised me. Probably every reader falls in love with a character by time to time. Of course, during so many years of reading, I had time to add about five characters that are clearly book crushes. Not only that they were at the time I was reading those books, but they remained like this over the years. Maurice is not a crush. Not in the same way. But as I was reading Pooka in My Pantry I discovered that never, not even when I was falling in love with a character I didn’t wish more than I wish now to move a character from a book into reality! Or to move myself in the world described in the book.
But Maurice is not the only perfect character. The secondary characters also have wonderful portraits and the final feeling is that you’d do anything just to switch places with – or at least to be near – Zoey. The plot is surprising and most of the time, you have no idea what’s going to happen next. Any assumptions you might have are quickly destroyed. Every time you think you know what’s the next move, a new character appears or a new event takes place and breaks your guess. The mystery keeps growing and the solving seems to be more and more complicated. And the ending is amazing! Stepping a little in a steampunk area through the secrets discovered by the heroine, the last chapters offer a new perspective over the series and make you daydream about the next sequel. I also loved the fact that although this time the problems are more complicated and everything is happening at a higher level, the situation for Zoey is somehow more optimistic. She doesn’t have just a personal fight, she is now a key element in a major war. And this time, she has a great safety net: a group of dear and loyal friends that will stay near her in any situation, a love that is now free to grow without any macabre events and a whole community of supernatural beings that will surely help her when the time will come.
I won’t write any “Pros” and “Cons”. Because the whole book was so delicious and fascinating that I should mention every single element that was used to build this story. Moreover, there really weren’t any aspects that could be considered a “Con”.
The last thing that I have to tell you is that this kind of books is the one that transform reading from a pleasure to real need: the books that make you dream the way you haven’t dreamed in years, since you were a child and the impossible only needed a spark in order to become possible; the books that are changing your feelings in a second; the books that delete the reality surrounding you, replacing it with the magical scenes from the story; the books that make you wish with all your heart to become one of the characters inside; the stories that become almost personal, intimate, because they influence you more than other books did during whole years. I can count on my fingers the novels that got in this category and will forever remain stuck in my heart. A Monster Haven Story is clearly one of these books, so it’s obvious why I recommend it.
City of Lost Souls
