Thursday, July 23, 2015

Summer readings (Vol. II)

Kaixo kaixo!

I'm happy to report that my summer readings are in full swing and that like I expected, I've been enjoying reading. SO MUCH. However, it has been a little chaotic. I started two books that I'm still not done with, but then my parents talked to me about a trilogy (that is, a series of three books, like Divergent or The Hunger Games #teamPeeta). People here commonly refer to it as "La trilogía del Baztán" or the Baztan trilogy, which are three books on some criminal cases in the Baztan valley, a little area right by Irun where there is a rich history of wizardry and legendary creatures. Apparently, during my spring semester at the US, it has been all the rage here, and everyone has been reading these books. I was piqued by curiosity and when my aunt told me one of her coworkers had lent them to her for the summer, I asked her if I could read them. And, six days later I'm done with about 1500 pages. I gorged these books. Literally (figuratively).



El guardián invisible (The Invisible Guardian) by Dolores Redondo:
A series of murders of young girls by Elizondo, the heart of the Baztán valley, has made Amaia Salazar, an FBI trained police inspector, go back to her hometown she'd rather forget. These teenagers have appeared strangled with a cord, naked, with their make up wiped off and the most incredible detail, with their pubes shaved like a child's and a local pastry on top of it. Amaia has to deal with these murders that are being deemed the "Basajaun" murders, the murders of a mythological creature that takes care of the mountains, and with her own demons from her past that resurface as she goes back there.

As a longtime Criminal Minds fan, I was very happy to see unsub profiling combined with a location that I know (I got very excited to see Durango, Colorado in Criminal Minds because I did my study abroad there). I considered criminology as a career, before doing a reality check and realizing that I'd never be as cool as Dr. Spencer Reid or have as awesome of a job, I limited my criminology interest to literature and media, so this book was fantastic to read.

Do I recommend it? Yes!




Legado en los huesos (Legacy in the Bones) by Dolores Redondo:
Johana Márquez's murder trial is about to start. After having raped, mutilated and killed her and tried to put the blame on the Basajaun killer, her stepfather Jasón Medina commits suicide in a bathroom of the courtroom. Amaia Salazar, who is now pregnant, is summoned there as Medina has left a suicide note directed at her with one word: "Tarttalo", the name of a mythical Basque monster who, the legend said, used to terrorize the Baztán valley. Amaia has to go back to her hometown in Elizondo to uncover a deep secret ingrained in the valley.

This was by far the book I liked the most out of the trilogy. Not only is it the most packed with action, it just feels like you can't stop reading. It took me a day and a half to finish it, I gotta admit. But you have to read the first book to keep up with the storyline, don't read it on its own!

Do I recommend it? Heck yeah!




Ofrenda a la tormenta (Offering to the Storm) by Dolores Redonco:
When a woman denounces that her granddaughter's death by sudden infant death syndrome may have been misdiagnosed, as her son-in-law seems to be acting weird about it. The baby has red marks in her face that signal a drowning. Her great grandmother claims her great grandchild has been killed by a dark force that kills people in their dreams, Inguma. The investigation in this case will lead Amaia Salazar and her team to other cases of baby girls dying of SIDS in Baztan, too many of them, which will eventually lead to the root of all the evil that has been condemning the valley.

I hate ebooks, and I will always choose paper over an electronic reader. However, I was so desperate to read this and I couldn't find a paper version anywhere, so I asked my dad (gasp!) if he could lend me his ebook to read it. My dad is awesome and he lent it to me. Figure out how bad I wanted to read this book. Really bad. I really liked it and I wish it hadn't ended.

Do I recommend it? Yes!
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Although I do recommend these books, there's a little catch. The books are not available in the US (yet!). The first one will be on sale March 2016 (I know, so long to go...) here, but if you can find get it from the UK (these books have been a mega-hit in Europe) you'd be able to read it in English, and there's always the internet.

Love,

- Ane

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