Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Saturday, December 6, 2014 - , , No comments

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage:

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Haruki Murakami
Version: Hardback

 GoodReads:
Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. By chance all of their names contained a colour. The two boys were called Akamatsu, meaning ‘red pine', and Oumi, ‘blue sea', while the girls' names were Shirane, ‘white root', and Kurono, ‘black field'. Tazaki was the only last name with no colour in it.

One day Tsukuru Tazaki’s friends announced that they didn’t want to see him, or talk to him, ever again.

Since that day Tsukuru has been floating through life, unable to form intimate connections with anyone. But then he meets Sara, who tells him that the time has come to find out what happened all those years ago.

 Review:
Ok, so this book was absolutely amazing and I'm no doubt going to go ahead and call it the best read of 2014. Let's just start with the book design. It's unique, but an awesome unique! The size is a little smaller than your normal sized book, the colors are elegant, and when you remove the dust jacket it's a map!

 I'm sure you've heard of Colorless, it was highly, highly discussed by both book bloggers and just about every other type media you can imagine. In Japan alone, it sold over 1 million copies just one month after publication. As for me, I love all things Japan. So, I was super excited about reading this book and I remember putting this book on my TBR list, but it never seemed to get purchased. However, I was fortunate enough to have the book jump out at me when I was browsing my local Barnes & Noble bookstore. I cracked open the book, read the first page, and decided that I HAD TO HAVE IT!

 There were so many parts of this story that I could relate to that it was almost like Tsukuru was a personification of myself. In fact, this was the first book that ever made me want to highlight - physically.. with a highlighter - specific passages and quotes. The way Haruki Murakami tells this story is absolutely captivating. It's both elegant and simplistic, but so effortlessly done that you can't help but devour this book. Now, I had never read any of Murakami's previous works, but he quickly became a favorite author of mine and I plan on reading more of his publications very soon. 

 As for the plot, I believe the GoodReads summary does a well enough job, so I won't be elaborating any further. However, I just want to make it clear that this book was hyped for a reason. Usually, I tend to avoid books that are overhyped, simply because they typically don't live up to my expectations. Colorless not only lived up to, but surpassed my expectations in every way possible. Needless to say, I wanted to reread it as soon as I turned the last page, but I'm saving it for another day. 

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thursday, November 27, 2014 - , , , No comments

I'll Give You the Sun

Rating: 5 stars
Author: Jandy Nelson
Version: Hardback

Goodreads:
A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell 

 Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

 This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Review:
I’ll Give You the Sun wasn’t only a contemporary, but almost a mystery novel as well. The reason I say this is because as you progress through the story, you gain more clues as to why Jude and Noah’s relationship fell apart, as well as some shocking truths that escalated that separation. Also, on top of this being an extremely awesome story, Nelson tackles a few modern issues such as sexual identity; coping with death and grief; personal discovery and growth; and of course, love.  

This story was unique in it’s telling, because the chapters are told from not only alternating points of view, but also from different periods in time. For instance, one chapter might be coming from a 12 year old Noah, while the next will be told from a 16 year old Jude. However, the way she blended Jude and Noah’s story together seemed almost effortlessly done, since the story progressed very fluidly. Needless to say, this method of storytelling was very interesting, because to progress further into the book, you had to delve deeper into the past. 

As for the characters, I would probably say that Noah was my favorite. Although, I loved reading Jude’s journey as she rediscovered/reclaimed her former self, Noah and I could relate on so many different levels. As for Noah, he is not your typical child, he’s creative, funny, introverted, passionate, and a bit of an evil genius. Jude on the other hand, is bold, creative, superstitious, emotional, and extremely caring. Another one of my favorite characters was the grandmother, despite most of her appearances being in ghostly form. There’s no way you couldn’t like the grandmother, she had such an influential part in Jude’s life and the “Bible” she was infamously known for, was simply hilarious! The dad on the other hand was pretty terrible. I couldn’t believe some of the comments he made to his sonand I lost all respect for him when he fell apart when his children needed him most. Although, he does get a little redemption towards the end :). 


 I highly recommend this book to all my readers. It was one of the most touching and unique stories I’ve read all year. The connection between Jude and Noah, as well as both their journeys of self discovery are truly what make this book memorable. It’s so much more than just a contemporary novel and it will quickly become one of your favorites. Also, you can’t help but smile when you learn where the title comes from because it was so... moving.

Friday, November 21, 2014

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Girl On a Wire:

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Version: eBook
Author: Gwenda Bond

 GoodReads Summary:
A ballerina, twirling on a wire high above the crowd. Horses, prancing like salsa dancers. Trapeze artists, flying like somersaulting falcons. And magic crackling through the air. Welcome to the Cirque American!

Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father’s footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.
Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.
As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don’t figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall. 


 Review:
This story is truly a modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling at its finest. This becomes even more apparent when you learn the true names of Remy and Jules later on in the book. Also strikingly similar to Shakespeare's cast of Montagues and Capulets, the Maronis and Garcias both possess a history of hating each other. However, the reason behind this hated remains a mystery for most of the book. Although you're given bits a pieces from different family members, you won't get the full story until it's forced out of the Grandmother, who is completely awesome by the way. The way Gwenda told the story not only kept me interested, but completely hooked me, so that I couldn't put the book down. 

 The setting of the story is forever changing, since the Maronis and Garcias are members of a traveling circus. How awesome is that? Honestly, this story is packed with a ton of circus lore and it was SO GREAT! Without going into too much detail, Jules makes a decision to better her family's financial situation, but at a cost of forcing them to cooperate with the Garcia's. Now as if that fact alone wasn't enough, just as in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the attraction between Remy Garcia and Jules Maroni is almost palpable. They fall in love and struggle to keep it a secret. This becomes increasingly more difficult as a mystery killer attempts to throw Jules, who is a tightrope walker, off her balance. What's so unique is that the mystery murder uses "mystical" possessions that date back to when the feud of family originally began. Now, it's left for the reader to decided if these objects are inherently magical or if it's the superstitions that give them strength. As for the mystery killer, can you figure out who it is before the story ends? I couldn't. 

Monday, August 4, 2014

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Dead Witch Walking

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Kim Harrison
Version: eBook

GoodReads:
All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party ... and to feed.
Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining -- and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized.

A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead ... or undead.

Review:
I was very skeptical about starting Dead Witch Walking after first viewing the cover - Yes, I do judge books by their covers. However, after seeing that over 71,000 people gave the book a combined rating of over 4 stars I decided to give it a shot.

Now I've said it before, but I love books with witches and magic. With this restated, I was a little disappointed in the type of magic Rachel practices. To give some background, there are three categories of witches in this book:

  1. White Earth - Witches who use plants to make potions and amulets. The theory is that the plants dilute and store ley line magic. Requires a small amount of blood (finger prick).
  2. Black Earth - Witches who use animals/people as sacrifices. 
  3. Ley Line - Witches who tap directly into the "ever after", which is where demons are believed to live. This type of magic doesn't use blood, but instead feeds off the user's/victim's soul. 
Rachel is a white earth witch, so she relies primarily on charms, potions, and amulets as source of magic. One thing that irked me was the difficulty level assigned to creating potions and spells, despite some only having a few simple instructions (referencing Rachel's mink transmutation spell). In fact, most witches in this book have to rely on purchasing their charms, which was a little lame. However, towards the end of the story, Rachel has to rely on making her own charms and the lameness started to fade away. 

In terms of action and suspense, this book is packed full of it!  A death threat was placed on Rachel by her former boss and he goes to the extreme in an attempt to kill her. So, much of the book involves fighting off/eluding hired Vampire, Were, and Fairy assassins. There were honestly times that I just couldn't put the book down. 

I also found Dead Witch Walking to contain quite a bit of humor. The banter between Jinx (an awesome pixy), Ivy (Rachel's partner and living vampire), and Rachel had me literally laughing out loud. One particular instance I can recall was when Rachel suffered major blood loss and became delusional. Some of the things said were not unlike the videos you see on YouTube of people after being released from Dental surgery (example)

This book seems to be fairly well known, but if you haven't given it a chance yet, I recommend doing so. 

Monday, July 28, 2014

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We Were Liars

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: E. Lockhart
Version: eBook

GoodReads:
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Review:
I went into reading We Were Liars pretty much blind, since all I knew was that it was a contemporary and about a group of kids. Throughout the book, what I thought the story was about changed not once, not twice, but THREE times. I'll try to explain what I mean without giving away too much:

At first I believed the story was about the narrators's childhood. Since most of the content was memories and her experiences on their private island. For this reason, I was disinterested in the first 30-40% of the book. Yet, as I continued reading, the story changed into a manipulation game and power struggle between family members. My interest level spiked. Then, the final part of the book blew me out of the water and became something I didn't expect entirely!

One thing I found unique was the narrator's use of graphic metaphors. For this reason, the opening of this story was a bit of a shocker. Even more so shocking, is that she doesn't give you any indication it's a metaphor until you keep reading and realize not to take it literal. Here's what I  mean:
That June, summer fifteen, Dad announced he was leaving… My father put a last suitcase into the backseat of the Mercedes… Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and I fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage and down into a flower bed. Blood gushed rhythmically from my open wood,then from my eyes,my ears,my mouth. 

Yeah... upon first reading this, my jaw dropped. Oh and by the way, metaphors not unlike the one above, are selectively placed throughout the whole of the story.

Another detail unique to the narrator is the incorporation of fairy tales, which help to illustrate current situations and foreshadow future ones. The first few tellings I took lightly, but by the third or so I started to read further into the lines and decrypt what she truly meant. It was fun to say the least.

As I said earlier, the ending of the book was mind blowing! It had me questioning SO many things. Who/what are the group of Liars? Why didn't they plan their actions logically? Is this even a contemporary? Seriously, read this book, but go into it blind or without knowing anymore than what I've written above.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

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Faking Normal

Rating: 3 Stars
Author: Courtney C. Stevens
Version: Hardcover

GoodReads:
An edgy, realistic, and utterly captivating novel from an exciting new voice in teen fiction.

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

A searing, poignant book, Faking Normal is the extraordinary debut novel from an exciting new author-Courtney C. Stevens.

Review:
I enjoyed reading Faking Normal, but I was very, very frustrated with the main character, Alexi. Throughout the whole of the book she was constantly berating herself for not saying “NO” when she was statutorily raped. Yet, throughout the whole of the book "Lex" is constantly refusing to stop any sort of contact or situation that her mind tells her to. So, what you have is a girl who’s mutalating herself for keeping silent and regretting her past decisions, while also continuing to make those same decisions in the present. Maybe this is what people who’ve gone through a situation like Lex’s experience, but as a reader I was extremely frustrated. 

A large part of Lex’s struggle is that she cannot determine why she’s so passive and lacks voice. This mystery is a good 2/3’s portion of the book and the underlying reasons are extremely week in my opinion. For instance, she’s plagued by a memory of seeing a naked boy, who was at the time the same age as she was… ~6 years old. I’m sorry, but children see each other naked when they’re little, they are innocently indifferent, and it’s not something that should haunt her for 10+ years. There were just so many instances in the book that made me want to turn against the victim and I had to almost constantly remind myself not to do so. 


All in all, the book sends out a very good message to those applicable, which is to find your voice, don’t blame yourself, and speak up. Yet, the build up and foundation of the story is extremely weak and very predictable at times. However, the author’s letter, as well as her video on Amazon, clearly express how passionate she is about getting her message out. For that, she’s earned my respect. 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - , , , No comments

A Few Books I Love to Reread

I was looking at my shelf this morning and thought "how many of those have I actually reread?" Personally I don't reread often, so if I do reread a book, I consider it to be a definite favorite. After all, there's a lot of time invested in reading a book, so if I want to read it again it must be amazing, right?? Anyways, here are some of the books that I've reread and absolutely love:


1. The Night Circus:
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK! The story is nothing like I've read before, the setting is so alive, and the writing is extremely elegant. I honestly, don't think I've ever read a book and praised the author's writing style. Every time I open this book I feel as if I can truly see, and smell Le Cirque des Reves - The Circus of Dreams. 




 2. The Inheritance Cycle:
This might honestly be one of the first series I've ever reread. Although, part of the reason was because by the time Brinsingr and Inheritance were published, a two year time span had passed and I'd forgotten much of Eragon and Eldest. However, the second time I reread these books was purely because I missed them and wanted to step back into the world of Elves and Dragon Riders. As a side note, I've read that Christopher Paolini is writing a fifth book that follows Angel the herbalist, but it could just be gossip. 




3. Panic:
I wanted to reread Panic as soon as I turned the last page. Lauren Oliver literally had my jaw dropping when at the challenges, I still can't get over a few of them. For all it's worth, I managed to hold off a couple weeks before I read it again. 
Books I Want to Reread Soon:

1. The Raven Cycle:
I love this series and plan to reread it alongside a few other bloggers in a couple months. 
  


2. The Host:
Something about this book just clicks with me and I really want to reread it. For those concerned, it's nothing like the movie (which was horrible in my opinion), nor like any of Stephanie Meyer's other publications. I highly recommend reading this book if you haven't yet. 
3. Fangirl:
It's Rainbow Rowell, nuff said. All joking aside, I'm not entirely sure why I want to reread Fangirl. After all, this book wasn't my favorite Rainbow Rowell story, but it did rank pretty high (#2). It could be because I can personally relate to Wren who's shy and introverted. It could also have something to do with the nostalgia of growing up with Harry Potter, or sharing some of the exact same feelings that Wren had during my first year of college. Whatever the reason, I want to reread it. 

Now I have a couple questions for you! Have any of my rereads matched your own? Also, what do you plan on rereading soon? 

Monday, July 7, 2014

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Darkness

Rating: 4 Stars
Author: Erin Eveland
Version: NetGalley eBook
Goodreads:
One Girl. One Boy. And the Masters of Darkness. See the Shadow Creatures. They are everywhere. But you can't run from the shadows or the Masters who control them.

Catherine has been born with a supernatural power called Darkness. The Masters of Darkness have found her and it's just a matter of time before someone claims her.

An Interactive Novel
A QR Code starts the beginning of each chapter connecting the reader to specific art or music that ties into the mood and setting of the novel. Using the quick response code in print and eBook formatting, Darkness incorporates visual and sound to heighten the reading experience.

Review:
I was browsing through some NetGalley titles and saw this book called Darkness that just called to me. The cover looked interesting - yes, I do partially judge a book by it’s cover, that’s why they’re there - and the plot summary had enough hook for me to take the bait. 

It seems that lately that I’ve been reading books whose protagonists are suffering through everyday life: Eleanor from Eleanor and Park, Avery from Steel Lily, Liesel from The Book Theif, and now Catherine from Darkness. I swear I’m not actively searching for these stories like a sadist, but it’s just a general observation I’ve noted. Anyways, back to the review: 

I can’t say I really enjoyed following Catherine’s story, because she was living under such terrible conditions and it seemed that everyone was literally out to get her (minus two people). Even her mother, an extreme alcoholic, wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, besides the welfare check she was receiving for “child support”. I mean honestly, she slapped her six year old daughter across the face for calling her “mommy”. Also, despite Catherine’s story being extremely depressing, it was also very frustrating. It seemed that every time someone tried to help her, she would fight to remain in whatever crappy situation she wanted to escape from 50 pages ago. I can recall at least two instances with different characters where she could/should have “escaped” the situation, but remained. For example, Nathan is a character she spends many pages fantasizing about, but when the opportunity to runaway with him appears, she decides to stay with her abusive mother instead (for his sake). Nevertheless, Catherine’s struggles are a major factor in why she is who she is - a child born of Darkness. Another minor qualm I had with the book was that some scenes came across as overly descriptive and I found myself either skimming or thinking “just get to the point.” Yet, despite what I’ve mentioned above, the story was extremely well written and I really did enjoy it, overall.

As for the plot, I found it to be extremely unique and I really liked it's creepiness/darkness (if you will). Furthermore, the peculiar rules and abilities of the Masters of Darkness, coupled with the mystery behind Catherine's fate, kept me wanting to read more and fueled my desire to finish the book.

I just realized I had forgotten to mention the interactive capabilities of this novel. I downloaded a scanner app from iTunes - one that was highly rated - but was unable to get it to scan the code on my Kindle screen. I don't know if the fault was mine or the app's, but either way I was unable to experience what sounds like a really cool concept.

Would I recommend Darkness? Yes, yes I would. Especially to those who like reading well written, dark-fantasy material. 

Thursday, July 3, 2014

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Steel Lily

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Megan Curd
Version: eBook

 Goodreads:
AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

…Which means digging deeper.


When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

Review:
This book was honestly amazing. I went into it not expecting much and boy was I blown away. The story just had everything I wanted: a lot of action, a bit of mystery, a huge plot twist, and just enough romance so that it doesn't become overbearing. 

For starters, the plot of Steel Lily was just so unique - WWIII, radiation mutations, zombie like soldiers, and elementalists!! Wait, let me take a second to explain since The GoodReads summary doesn’t mention much about what I just wrote. The setting is post World War III, where radiation levels are so high that human kind is forced to live in Domes. Avery, the main character, is a rare kind of elementalist who resides in Dome 4.  Her parents were taken from here, she has very few friends, people seriously take advantage of her power for personal use, and the government cannot afford to lose her. 

In terms of elementalist, I kept relating their abilities to that of Avatar the Last Airbender, which is a show I use to love when I was younger. As the name suggests, elementalists are those who have the ability to manipulate the element(s) of earth, air, fire, and water. Those lucky enough to have that ability are coveted by the government, while ordinary humans, termed Traditionalists, are treated poorly. 

As for the war, I was never really clear on what the alliance and resistance wanted. I remember reading pieces about a universal government, but it’s definitely something that I wanted clarified. I also encountered a bit of confusion towards the end of the book, but I can’t explain without giving away some spoilers. However, at it’s vaguest, I don’t understand how an organization can treat it’s people terribly in the beginning, then be shown as the “good guys” in the end. 

On the other hand, I loved the characters! I thought the bond Avery, Alice, and Sari had, as well as their survivor personalities really made the story. Similarily, I enjoyed reading Jaxon’s sarcasm, which in my opinion was done better than Jace’s from The Mortal Instruments Series. Even more so, I really enjoyed reading the witty banter between Alice and Jaxon and found it funny how Avery struggled to stay on their level. 


In short, I LOVED this book and it’s definitely become one of my most favorite reads this year. Be aware that the story does contain a minimum amount of typos, but its nothing to distract the reader from the story. After all, I did give Steel Lily 5 Stars!!

Sunday, June 29, 2014

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Panic:

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Lauren Oliver
Version: Hardcover

 GoodReads:
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

 Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.
For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.


 Review:
This is one of my all time favorite contemporary reads and if you haven’t read it yet, you need to do so ASAP. Literally, go purchase this book now. 

The hook for this story is extremely enticing, or it is to me anyways. Part of this probably stems from the fact that I grew up in a small town in the middle of nowhere, not too unlike Carp - the story’s setting. I can honestly see something like Panic being a real thing at my old high school, but thankfully it wasn’t. 

The challenges of Panic were extremely intense! The players know nothing of the challenges beforehand, except for receiving a small riddle detailing the location and hint of whats to come. As such, the reader goes into the challenge with as much knowledge as the players, which really adds to the mystery and suspense. My jaw literally dropped when I finally figured out what some of the challenges where. Personally, the second challenge was my favorite… I mean honestly, there’s no way I would have made it. 

The characters of Panic came across as being very real. Most of them come from a poor family and horrible situations, which drive them to win Panic ($$$$$). I don’t want to give away anything, but Heather’s situation truly sucked and you couldn’t help but root for her to win. I don’t think I could pick a favorite character, but maybe Heather or Ann? 


 Anyways, I literally could not put this book down and wanted to reread it as soon as I finished. I managed to push aside that want for two weeks before I read it again.. the story is just that good!

Sunday, June 15, 2014

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Grave Mercy

Rating: 4 Stars
Author: Robin LaFevers
Version: eBook

 GoodReads Summary:
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?


Review:

 So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted a review, but here we go!

I purchased Grave Mercy after hearing it mentioned in Christine’s YouTube channel and then finding it on sale at Amazon.com. The plot sounded super interested and the cover looked amazing - Yes, I judge a book by the cover.

I really prefer reading physical copies of books, but if I can catch a deal with the Kindle version, then I’ll do so. With that said, it took me about a month of on/off reading to get through 47% of the book. The main problem I had with the story was that I kept getting bogged down trying to track characters and understand historical information. However, Ismae’s adventure was enough to keep me pushing through for awhile. Eventually, I just put the book down to burn through some Rainbow Rowell novels. 


However, for some reason this week, I had a strong desire to finish reading Grave Mercy. That being said, I picked back up where I left off and guess what? I finished the remaining half in two days! The second half was simply amazing- full of action, mystery, romance, and oh my god the plot twists. What’s more, the story is mostly based on historical events. This means that the 12 year old Dutchess desperately fighting to save her country through marraige and the events that transpire are real!! LaFevers goes further to say that he excluded about half of the conspiracies that happened in real life to make the story easier to read. Wow, just wow - you’ll see my point if you read the story, which I highly recommend you do!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

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Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble



Rating: 5 Stars
Version: eBook
Author: H.P. Mallory

 Summary:
Life isn't bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn't have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.
Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she's a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost's demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!

Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand.

 Review:
I read this book in December of 2013 and yes it’s been 2 months, but this book definitely deserves a mention and I regret putting it off.  For starters, I received this book from Pixel of Ink for free and was EXTREMELY surprised by how much I loved reading it. At the time, I had just finished reading the first two books of the All Souls Trilogy (A discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night), both of which I have yet to review, and noted several similarities. For instance, you have a witch/vampire attraction, a witch who was unaware of her potential, and a full out species war that resides on the protagonist choices. However, Mallory and Harnkess’s books have enough differences to not feel like you’re rereading the same material with a different twist.

If I had to decide on which work I liked best, I would probably choose Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, because Jolie (the main character) isn’t afraid to use her powers and is a bit more aggressive than Diana Bishop (the All Souls protagonist). Also, this book seemed to progress at a much faster pace, with less time spent wondering “when is this chapter going to be over with?” Another thing, which is unrelated to the content the book, but is something that I loved, is the cover art. The cover art appeals to my sense of Halloween and what a book about a witch should look like. It is so much more attractive than any of the All Souls dust jackets - The reason I say dust jackets is because, the hardcover editions of the All Souls trilogy are black with gold/orange star decorations, which are amazing.

As for the story, It was fast paced, action packed, and contained an ideal amount of romance. As I’ve said before, I’m not one for stories that rely heavily on romance, so it was nice to be able to read without cringing. 


I didn’t intend to mention the All Souls trilogy so much in this review, but because the concepts were similar, I find it hard not to compare them. As I said before, the concepts are unique in and of themselves and are easily distinguishable. Please give this book a chance and read it, because you won’t be disappointed. 

Sunday, February 9, 2014

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White Space

Rating: 1.5 Stars
Author: Ilsa Bick
Version: ARC review copy

Summary:
In the tradition of Memento and Inception comes a thrilling and scary young adult novel about blurred reality where characters in a story find that a deadly and horrifying world exists in the space between the written lines.

Seventeen-year-old Emma Lindsay has problems: a head full of metal, no parents, a crazy artist for a guardian whom a stroke has turned into a vegetable, and all those times when she blinks away, dropping into other lives so ghostly and surreal it's as if the story of her life bleeds into theirs. But one thing Emma has never doubted is that she's real.

Then she writes "White Space," a story about these kids stranded in a spooky house during a blizzard.

Unfortunately, "White Space" turns out to be a dead ringer for part of an unfinished novel by a long-dead writer. The manuscript, which she's never seen, is a loopy Matrix meets Inkheart story in which characters fall out of different books and jump off the page. Thing is, when Emma blinks, she might be doing the same and, before long, she's dropped into the very story she thought she'd written. Trapped in a weird, snow-choked valley, Emma meets other kids with dark secrets and strange abilities: Eric, Casey, Bode, Rima, and a very special little girl, Lizzie. What they discover is that they--and Emma--may be nothing more than characters written into being from an alternative universe for a very specific purpose.

Now what they must uncover is why they've been brought to this place--a world between the lines where parallel realities are created and destroyed and nightmares are written--before someone pens their end.

Review:
I really wanted to like this book, I truly did, but I was unable to read past 40%.

After viewing the description and the cover art, I was super excited about the concept and couldn't wait to begin reading. However, the more I read, the more confused I became. For starters, I felt like I was thrown into Libby's world without any background information at all. The made up words and symbols that seemed to be extremely important, were never defined and it was extremely frustrating. For example, what is the sign of Sure, what exactly is thought energy, are the metal creatures alive, and why is Libby's quilt so important ? There were plenty more, but I can't remember them all, because I put down the book hoping I would want to finish it later. Sadly, I don't plan on doing so. To see how others felt about White Space, I checked Goodreads. Apparently, many agree that they don't like swimming in 500 pages of confusion before they understand what's happening.

Another thing I found annoying was the numerous point-of-view changes. After trying to cope with the new environment and the flux of made up words, I felt switching between 4 and 5 characters, each in a new situation, was extremely unnecessary.

I was also unprepared for the horror sections I read. After all, people were comparing White Space to Inkheart and the idea of flesh being severed from bone, bloody snow, and empty eye sockets was not something I envisioned. However, if you don't mind horror, the blizzard scene is extremely similar to Stephen King's movie "The Mist".

This book will probably be amazing to someone, but for me it was a complete let down. For those reading this review, please do not let my opinion sway you from reading the book. If you are interested, please give it a try and form your own opinion.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014 - , , , 2 comments

The Percy Jackson & The Olympians Series

Rating: 5 Stars
Author: Rick Riordan
Version: Hardcovers

I've been hearing a lot about the Percy Jackson series - PJO for those who don't know the slang - from Christine's booktube channel on YouTube (Click Here). So, I decided to ask for the first book- The Lightning Thief- for Christmas. Needless to say, I was surprised when I unwrapped the hardcover boxed set!

 Review:
I don't really see the need to go into a synopsis of the plots, because that's what the summery section is for... and I think it does a pretty good job. I will place the summaries below the review section, because there are five books to be summarized and I don't want the length of this review to be intimidating.
There are several things I enjoyed about the PJO series. For example, the pacing is great, meaning that nothing seems too forced, nor too slow. You know how some books have dry spells? Well, I don't recall hardly any in these.. maybe 1 or 2, but I can't remember them, which is a good thing. Also, I really loved the fact that this series wasn't set around romance. Yes, there is some flirting and I'm extremely satisfied with the ending. However, the romance I'm referring to is the type where the girl/guy will absolutely die if they don't see their significant other every 5-10 minutes. Another thing I loved about the PJO series, is the fact that the characters were SO well developed. Some of my favorites are Annabeth, Artesmis, Nico, BlackJack, and Poseidon.

  • Annabeth is amazing.
  • Artemis is a boss.
  • Nico has that creepiness about him that I like and his powers are awesome.
  • BlackJack is a spunky black Pegasus and I have no doubt you will love him.
  • Poseidon is down to earth and fatherly, which isn't common of the Gods. 
I absolutely loved Rick Riordan's writing style. Read the first sentence out of The Lightning Thief and you will see what I mean. Read it off Amazon's sample: The Lightning Thief: 

Out of the five books, I would say my most favorite was The Last Olympian (the last book) and my least favorite was The Sea of Monsters (the second book). In order of favorites, it would have to be:
  1. The Last Olympian (Book 5)
  2. The Titan's Curse (Book 3)
  3. The Battle of the Laberinth (Book 4)
  4. The Lightning Theif (Book 1)
  5. The Sea of Monsters (Book 2)
I HIGHLY recommend this series to ANYONE that hasn't read them already. If you're worried about the fact that this book is middle grade level, please don't let that stop you. A book's content is not limited by the section it sits in, in the bookstore. 

Summary Section: (placed here to reduce the scare factor)
The Lightning Thief: 
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

The Sea of Monsters:
The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

The Titans Curse:
IT'S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COMBAT WITH A HALF-LION, HALF-HUMAN.

But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...

The Battle of the Labyrinth:
Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.
In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

The Last Olympian:
All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows. 

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Thursday, January 16, 2014 - , , , No comments

City of Fallen Angels

Rating: 4 Stars
Version: Hardcover
Author: Cassandra Clare

 GoodReads:
The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

The stakes are higher than ever in the #1 New York Times bestselling fourth installment of the Mortal Instruments series

 Review:
After finishing City of Glass, I was unsure if whether or not I wanted to continue on with the series. After all, Cassandra Clare originally planed for TMI to be a trilogy and I was scared the books would begin to center on romance, which is just not my genre.  However, I saw this book in a used bookstore for $5 (hardcover) and I decided "why not?" 

 Personally, I feel like this book took longer to "get into" than the prior three. Just for reference, I think I was somewhere around page 300 before I had the "omg I have to read more" reaction. However, once I hit that stage, I was satisfied. Much of the book focuses on Simon, which was a huge driving force behind Cassandra writing the book. For instance, you get numerous example of how the mark of Cain works and delver further into experiencing how Simon adjusts to becoming a vampire. Claire also releases a bit more history and foreshadowing when the group encounters a pretty powerful demon, but that's all you will get from me (no spoils). 

 I'm still unsure if whether or not I will continue on with the series. Yet, I most likely will, but I'm in no rush to buy the next couple of books.

 Background from Cassandra Clare: Click Here

Monday, December 16, 2013

Monday, December 16, 2013 - , , No comments

Braving the Brontes (Carly Keene: Literary Detective):

Rating : 4.5 Stars
Version: ARC eBook
Author: Katherine Rue
GoodReads:
Carly Keene is a twelve-year-old from Alaska who has always longed for adventure. She gets her wish when she is transported back to 1846 and finds herself living with the Bronte family in England. There is a mystery surrounding the Bronte sisters, and until she solves it Carly is stuck in the past. Will adventure be what she thought it would be? Will she ever get home?

 Review:
Carly Keene, Literary Detective was a fun and imaginative story. The book's description alone was enough to hook me, throw in a bit of nostalgia and I had to read it! The main character, Carly, is very likable and easy to relate to, especially for those who have a vivid imagination and thirst for adventure. 
I loved the plot, but initially was hoping for a bit more. For instance, after reading the description I imagined Carly falling into a book filled with fantasy and action. Yet, despite not meeting my expectations, I'm not at all dissatisfied. The thought of falling back in time to meet the Bronte sisters is both unique and creative. Additionally, younger audiences will find this book has plenty of action.  After all, there are ghosts, time travel, mystery, and lets not forget adventure --Carly almost died--. Thinking back to the books that I used to read when I was in elementary school, I can definitely see me picking this up off the library shelf. 

I’m not sure if it’s my copy or the publishers style, but some sentences were choppy with words straddling numerous sentences (whole chapters). Similarly, the chapter headings were preceded and followed by 3 and 3*, respective. I originally thought it was strange, but figured the number 3 had some significance story. Could the 3 stand for the Bronte sisters and 3* represent the change underwent by Carly's presence?


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