LOVE IS IN THE AIR!! AMODIOAREN HILEAN GAUDE!! (1/5)

Let’s do this! Has gaitezen…

Euskaraz & in English.

Mallory is a young, promising former chess player who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders after a family turmoil that she blames herself for. After that, she swore never to play that damned chess again. But… life gets in the way!

(English continues below)

(euskaraz)

Mallory xake-jokalari ohi gazte eta aparta da, baina bere buruari leporatzen dion gertakari baten ondorioz, bere ama eta bi ahizpa txikiak aurrera eramateko ardura bere gain hartu du. Ondorioz, xake madarikatu hori inoiz berriro ez jokatzea zin egin du.

Hala ere, bere lagunik onenak txapelketa solidario batean parte hartzera bultzatzen du. Bertan finala ere irabazten du, nor eta Nolan Sawyerren aurka: egungo munduko txapelduna eta, gainera, aldizkarietako azaletan agertzen den tipo sexia ere badena!

Horren ostean, Defne izeneko emakume bat hurbiltzen zaio, eta bere klubeko xake-beka ordaindu bat eskaintzen dio. Hasieran uko egiten dio, aitari lotutako oroitzapen mingarriak ekartzen dizkiolako. Baina errealitateak beste plan batzuk ditu, eta autoak konpontzen dituen tailerretik kaleratzen dutenean, ezin du ukatu beka horrek bere familiaren egoera ekonomikoari lagunduko liokeela. Baldintza bakarra da familiak ez jakitea, eta Malloryk malabarrak egin beharko ditu sekretua gordetzeko eta amak bere traizioaren berri izan ez dezan.

Gizonak nagusi diren xake-munduan murgildu eta txapelketa txikiagoetan lehiatzen hasten den heinean, nolabait xakeari gustua berriro hartzen ari zaiola ohartzen da, nahiz eta lehiakortasunean sartu nahi ez. Hala ere, jokatzen duen neurrian, konturatzen da oraindik zenbat duen ikasteko, eta pixkanaka pixkanaka mundu horrek berriz guztiz irensten du.

Txapelketa horiek Nolan eta Malloryren arteko lehia pizten dute, irabazteko gogotsu dauden bi gazte. Biak errespetuan eta tentsioan oinarritutako harremana garatzen dute, eta azkenean, ba, badakizu…

Nire ustez, gatazka interesgarrienak familia arloan daude: Malloryk iraganarekin duen barne-borroka, baita Nolanen munduan ez jausteko duen helburua ere. Baina biak desiratzen ditu: bai xakea, bai Nolan ere.

Liburuaren formulak funtzionatzen du eta irakurketa esperientzia espero bezalakoa da: dibertigarria eta ondo egina.

Hazelwoodek jarraitzen du emakume bikainak STEM arloetan kokatzen, eta burmuin liruragarriak dituzten protagonistak goraipatzen.

Protagonista inteligenteekin eraikitako enemies-to-lovers istorio bero baten bila zabiltza? Goza ezazu honekin!

(English)

Mallory is a young, promising former chess player who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders after a family turmoil that she blames herself for. After that, she swore never to play that damned chess again.

However, her best friend tricks her into joining a small charity tournament, where she ends up winning –even the final match against Nolan Sawyer, the current world champion and hot magazine-cover bad boy.

As a result, she is approached by a woman named Defne who offers her a paid fellowship at her chess club. She refuses at first, but her family relies on the money she brings home. So when she is fired from the workshop where she repairs cars, she can’t deny that the fellowship would help their struggling finances. The only thing is that her family can’t know and she needs to juggle to keep it a secret.

As she re-enters the male-dominated chess world and plays in smaller tournaments, she realizes that she somehow have craved it, although she resists being drawn into the competitiveness. But as she plays, she notices how much she still has to learn, and it slowly engulfs her.

These tournaments spark the rivalry between Nolan and Mallory, both young and willing to work hard to win. They develop a relationship of respect and tension that ends up… well, you know.

In my opinion, the more compelling conflict is on the family-struggle front: the internal dilemma with her past and the fact that she doesn’t want to be dragged into Nolan’s world, but she desires it –both chess and Nolan!

Ali Hazelwood continues to place brilliant women in STEM fields and to celebrate protagonists with fascinating minds.

It works. The reading experience is what you would expect, it’s fun and it delivers well.
Need a hot, enemies‑to‑lovers love story? Enjoy!

Rating/Puntuazioa: ★★★⯪☆