tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1395791371273000872024-03-05T01:46:15.207-08:00Chillin' With BooksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-7069491844798790622012-12-13T04:53:00.000-08:002012-12-13T04:53:09.475-08:00Mini HiatusSorry about the lack of posts these few weeks, I was heavily laden with homework and didn't have time to read and write reviews. I currently read in a extremely slow speed of one book about 4 days.... Therefore, I decided to take a mini hiatus, I will be certainly back by January, when I don't know, since I have term finals the start of January. This hiatus will give me time to read and catch up on my reviews as well as storing a few reviews so I could sometimes read in a more leisurely pace. See ya guys soon! ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-30332780439473484432012-12-04T07:09:00.002-08:002012-12-05T06:28:18.055-08:00Review: Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson (Valkyrie #1)<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332247199l/13034113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332247199l/13034113.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> Valkyrie Rising (Valkyrie #1)</blockquote>
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<b>Author:</b> Ingrid Paulson</blockquote>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Mythology</blockquote>
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<b>Publisher:</b> HarperTeen
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<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeText13337451633661098511"><b> </b></span><span id="freeText6971844927953512731">Nothing ever happens in
Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her
grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And
maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her
way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there. </span></blockquote>
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<span id="freeText6971844927953512731">What
Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck,
tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid
rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something
powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would
urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of
peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle
on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to
Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the
truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind
them.</span> </blockquote>
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<span id="freeText6971844927953512731">Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.</span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034113-valkyrie-rising">GoodReads</a></span></i></blockquote>
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From the book on: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034113-valkyrie-rising">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062025724">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/valkyrie-rising-ingrid-paulson/1108468150">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Valkyrie-Rising-Ingrid-Paulson/9780062025722">The Book Depository</a></blockquote>
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This book included a very special element, it incorporated Norse Mythology, like the Percy Jackson series, only that I have never heard of Norse Mythology (yeah, not really an expert in mythologies... :P), and that made the book that much more interesting.<br />
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The plot introduced a new kind of paranormal creatures that hardly ever appeared in books, Valkyries. I had a lot of fun reading about them, although I still think that they are not that different from vampires and werewolves, at least in their abilities. They can move super fast, fight extra hard, heals fast and hypnotize people. Well, that fits the description of vampires pretty good, right? Minus the blood-drinking part of course. Anyway, despite their similarities, it was still interesting to know about Valkyries, apparently they collected dead soldiers' souls and give it to the God of Death, Odin. Their purpose was really what set them apart from other paranormal creatures. Still, I appreciate Paulson's effort in putting something new in her story.<br />
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Most of the story took place within two days, and events just kept happening one after the other. To put it simply, this is a fast-paced story. True, there were still moments when after a long chapter (actually most of the chapters are pretty long, like 30 pages or so, which proved inconvenient especially since I insist on finishing the full chapter before dropping a book), things are still in the same place, but things can progress really fast if the author so wants. Truth be told though, the plot didn't quite pull me in, the whole wild-goose-chase thing wasn't really my thing, plus, I found Ellie to be incredibly frustrating. That said, the plot was still enjoyable and wasn't really that bad, just that it wasn't my thing, but I loved the romance! Tuck is a great love interest!<br />
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The ending was kind of great, most of the things were resolved, and there were a few loose ends that was left to the reader's imagination. I am totally fine with this being a stand-alone, but apparently it's going to be a series. There are many series these days, huh? Anyway, I like the idea of reading about Valkyries again, though Ellie wasn't my favorite, I did want to see her grow into a proud Valkyrie. <br />
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As mentioned before, this book featured Norse Mythology, which was refreshing. However, I don't think Paulson had used the concept to its full when writing Valkyrie Rising. The only thing that resembled Norse Mythology was its mythological creatures, however, I would love to see a more Percy-Jackson approach, you know, with the story sort of alluding a story from the mythology, that would definitely attract me, plus it allows readers to know more Norse Mythology.<br />
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As mentioned, I didn't like Ellie. Sure, she was kind of sweet and kind, at least not really that bad. But she kept getting more and more impetuous by the story, and that really annoyed me. I know that was part of her Valkyrie nature, but being a Valkyrie didn't mean you should go around taking risks that were A) Not worth taking and B) Totally stupid. I actually hate these kind of behavior on a heroine, you've got to keep a clear head especially in the heat of battle, and while Ellie was rational at times, her choices were really stupid, she kept doing dangerous things, didn't she understand that if she was killed, she could never save her bother? Think before you act. Although, now that I think about it, she did think, though her head most be wired very differently from mine, because I disagreed with most of her decisions.<br />
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Now, let's talk about the love interest, Tucker! He was portrayed as a player, yet he had been friends with Ellie for years, as he was also Graham, Ellie's brother's friend. That gave the perfect reason for their relationship. I knew many people actually hated insta-love, so this friendship-turned romance should be pretty satisfying. Despite being a player, Tuck was pretty good guy, he was sweet with Ellie, funny even in the direst of situations, and most importantly, he was a really good friend. He kept away from Ellie even though he likes her because of Graham, showing that he is a really loyal friend. This one's a keeper!<br />
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I would give Valkyrie Rising 4 stars. It was enjoyable, though the story was kind of fussy with all that was happening at times, and I hated our protagonist's constant reckless choices, the refreshing mythology incorporation made up for it. Valkyrie Rising was a unique kind of paranormal featuring a fast-paced storyline and a sweet love interest, I would recommend this to YA paranormal fans, especially ones who are tired of reading about vampires, werewolves, fallen angels, etc. all the time. Hope you guys enjoy it!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>I was totally clueless about Norse Mythology, actually, I knew very little about mythologies around the world. So, tell me, any particular mythology that was very interesting? I would want to know more ;) Did you enjoy the book? Tuck was charming, right? Tell me in the comments below! :)</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-55379122672698989342012-12-04T06:24:00.000-08:002012-12-04T06:24:33.317-08:00Review: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (White Rabbit Chronicles #1)Sorry about the mini hiatus guys! I was a little too busy last week, had to prepare for a debate, and had to stay at school till very late to finish everything. We had only 5 days to prepare! Anyway, our team won, which was a good thing, my schedule was interrupted, which was bad :P Okay, let's go to the review now.<br />
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<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333628241l/11300302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333628241l/11300302.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1)</blockquote>
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<b>Author:</b> Gena Showalter</blockquote>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal(Zombie), Paranormal Romance</blockquote>
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<b>Publisher:</b> Harlequin Teen
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<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeText13337451633661098511"><b> She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.</b></span> </blockquote>
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<span id="freeText13337451633661098511">Had
anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between
one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to
tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One
heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and
loved was gone.</span> <span id="freeText13337451633661098511"></span> </blockquote>
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<span id="freeText13337451633661098511">Her father was right. The monsters are real….</span> </blockquote>
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<span id="freeText13337451633661098511">To
avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she
must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole
has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might
just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….</span> </blockquote>
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<span id="freeText13337451633661098511"><i>I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.<br />I'd tell my sister no.<br />I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.<br />I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.<br />Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.<br />I'd tell them I love them.<br />I wish... Yeah, I wish.</i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11300302-alice-in-zombieland">GoodReads</a></span></i></blockquote>
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From the book on: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11300302-alice-in-zombieland">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373210582">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alice-in-zombieland-gena-showalter/1109674045">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Alice-Zombieland-Gena-Showalter/9780373210589">The Book Depository</a> </blockquote>
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I really think this book is good, very good, and wanted so very much to give it 5 stars, but once I've calmed down and survey the whole situation, I found that this book had some flaws, and that's why I had to give it only 4.5 stars :( (Actually, that was pretty close to 5, whatever :P)<br />
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I like the opening, very ominous, with Alice's note and such, I was immediately piqued to what Alice was talking about, what happened that made her regret things so deeply. The car accident was timed well, starting the book with a BANG (no pun intended). I really liked it :)<br />
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The book had several climaxes, I would say about 3 to 4, and most of the fighting scenes were in there. I was cool with that, it kept the book from those awkward middle phases where everything was still in the same place for chapters, and the readers were tempted to leave the book and start another one (I knew I did, I actually still hadn't finish Fallen, I planned on reviewing that :P) But, the multiple climaxes kind of took the excitement from the one <i>main</i> climax near the end of the book, the one that really matters. It's just that the previous semi-climaxes were so great, I felt that that one was a little rushed, the whole fighting scene just span around 10 pages, whereas others had about the same or more. If it was gonna be in the spotlight, you've got to give it more juice, make it special, alas, that was my only complain about the book.<br />
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I seriously LOVE the romance of this book! Cole and Alice were so good together. Although there was a little bit of a insta-love, I still loved it! Plus, they didn't let things go from there just because they were apple to their eyes in the first sight, they got to know each other as sort of friends, though of course they actually would date, so don't worry, the romance is still the romance ;)<br />
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One more thing to praise, I really liked Showalter's writing style. This is my first Showalter book and it left a pretty good impression. She didn't write very lyrically, like Laini Taylor, but more laid back and urban (sorry, couldn't think of other words, please re-frame from saying that I am actually 60 years old, because I am genuinely 14.5 ;P ). It was easy to read, and made me get into the book really fast, whereas I had to reset my channels when I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Both were great though :)<br />
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The zombies in this book was really different from what you had seen before. This wasn't some Hollywood block buster, where tons of fake blood and makeup were used, and the zombies were actually evil spirits. They needed to be defeated differently than hand to hand combat, and the setting was really cool. Although I actually knew that the zombies were different before I even read the book (some reviews I've read), I liked it even more when I actually read it. It just had this epic feel to it, good vs. evil, I love it!<br />
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Um, can I say the characters of this book were really all super awesome? Hell yes! Everyone was really well-written, and the characterization was definitely there, I could see it in every character that Showalter created for this book.<br />
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Alice Bell was our main protagonist, and I love her. She somehow always had a snarky comeback for things, although when I read the book I pictured her as kind of meek, goes to show that everything is not what it seems. She was a very pleasant main protagonist, not too whiny, even though her parents <i>and</i> her sister died within the first 30 pages. Not too strong, there were times when the female protagonist was too invincible (I am talking about other books), and it just kind of ruined the whole thing :P But strong enough to defend herself (physically) and pull herself together for everyone to see (mentally), I really liked this kind of heroine. Not perfect, but perfect enough ;)<br />
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I love Cole a lot too. True, he was actually a very <i>guy</i> guy, but he really cared a lot about Alice and constantly showed it in his protective nature, and I like that he was very loyal to his friends. I guess that was required though if you were to hunt zombies together :P<br />
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When I read the reviews, I found that many people actually loved Kat a lot. I was okay with her too, and quite strangely, her oversized ego didn't bother me at all. Which just goes to show that Showalter really was great with her characters :)<br />
<br />
And, like I said before, I loved the romance! Alice and Cole would be so cute together, I just knew it! They had so much passion (?) for each other, especially Cole, who seemed madly in love :P I wouldn't go into details but I must say even <i>before</i> they were officially together, there were a lot of steamy scenes which was skirting the line of YA books ;) So expect some drama and some steam if you catch these two together~<br />
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I would give this book 4.5 stars, the 0.5 was actually attributed to the not too impressive climax among semi-climaxes, which showed that less <i>is</i> more. Other than the minor complaint, everything in this book was just peachy! This book featured an exciting storyline with multiple fighting scenes, original world-building and lovable characters! I would recommend this to general YA readers, although it was a paranormal, it was definitely worth your time!One more thing, the cover design of this book was so great, I actually sighed whenever I see the book cover. I liked the model, the frames, the backgrounds, everything. And since I bought the American hardback edition, I could take away the cloth and saw that even the spine of the <i>inside </i>of the book was gorgeous, seriously, the cover alone could actually warrant a 5 star from me ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCDpW1MNLjh7qBtlFLUupc6xM2Izi2smBaWHcdppKrLv6Qn4TXe3ljREAXlDnI9mKz1dSvEcO2-1Ps_tRUIwKl8SJmLuBrsz6j9HJ0K9ZFqRjtRMhY1TWCZD4HL4COCUQGuh1aYXgX5AP/s1600/5stars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCDpW1MNLjh7qBtlFLUupc6xM2Izi2smBaWHcdppKrLv6Qn4TXe3ljREAXlDnI9mKz1dSvEcO2-1Ps_tRUIwKl8SJmLuBrsz6j9HJ0K9ZFqRjtRMhY1TWCZD4HL4COCUQGuh1aYXgX5AP/s1600/5stars.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rating: 4.5 stars!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The zombies were making its comeback! I saw many zombies that was released this few months or next year. So, how do you like your zombies? I know decaying flesh was hardly a lovable trait, but you never knew ;) This book might have some similar traits with Alice in Wonderland, but as you would have read in other reviews, it was not a retelling :P I knew that some people were disappointed at that, but I wasn't, the moment I saw that there was a character called Cole in the book's website, I knew it wasn't a retelling (I don't know how, sixth sense?), so I was prepared :) Anyway, were you disappointed that this wasn't a retelling of Alice in Wonderland? If you've read the book, how do you like it? Does it make up for the fact that it fooled you with its resemblance with the famous tale? Happy reading!</i></b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-2732823410514772782012-11-22T13:57:00.001-08:002012-11-22T13:57:26.565-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!Happy Thanksgiving you guys! We don't have Thanksgiving here in HK, but I think it is a great idea to always be thankful. So let's talk about some people I am thankful for:<br />
<br />
1. My friends<br />
<br /> Sorry, no pictures of me and my friends, I have already decided to maintain faceless :P I am thankful to them as they made me laugh and time spent with them is probably my happiest times! :)<br />
<br />
2. My sister<br />
<br />
I have a sister, but she's currently studying aboard, so she's not living her anymore. To be honest, she was never a very good sister, she was selfish (she never shared, nor was she grateful when I help her or share with her), arrogant (she kept saying that I am a little kid so I am stupid and blah blah blah... I don't get it, what does being young have anything to do with my intelligence? Plus, she's just 4 years older than me, it's not like she's that superior :P) and generally treated me with no respect, and I actually still kind of hate her for it, but you know, you can't live in the past. So I am going to thank her for giving me a thicker skin. <br />
<br />
3. My parents<br />
<br />
Yeah, me mother and I argue a lot, classic teenage issue, I can't help it, sometimes I am just so frustrated around her. My father is one of those people that seldom gets angry, but if he does, watch out :P I am thankful for them as they raised me and taught me. Plus, my father was basically the one footing my bill on most of my books ;)<br />
<br />
4. Awesome authors!<br />
<br />
Thank you for writing books that are so AWESOME.<br />
<br />
5. You!<br />
<br />
Basically, I am still very insecure about blogging, I kept thinking that not one will read my posts and reviews, but you guys helped me and without you guys, there is no blog, so THANK YOU!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-14408654865763745332012-11-21T06:30:00.002-08:002012-11-21T06:30:43.768-08:00Review: Red Glove by Holly Black (Curse Workers #2)<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335720067l/11771994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335720067l/11771994.jpg" height="200" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> Red Glove (Curse Workers #2)</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Author:</b> Holly Black </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal, Mystery</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Publisher:</b> Margaret K. McElderry Books</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeTextContainer1323330739129630221"> </span><span id="freeText16654363983603887107">After rescuing his
brothers from Zacharov’s retribution and finding out that Lila, the girl
he has loved his whole life, will never, ever be his, Cassel is trying
to reestablish some kind of normalcy in his life. That was never going
to be easy for someone from a worker family that’s tied to one of the
big crime families—and whose mother’s cons get more reckless by the day.
But Cassel is coming to terms with what it means to be a transformation
worker, and he’s figuring out how to have friends.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText16654363983603887107">Except normal doesn’t
last very long. Soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law
and is forced to confront his past—a past he remembers only in scattered
fragments, and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel
will have to decide whose side he wants to be on, because neutrality is
not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever
to survive….</span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11771994-red-glove">GoodReads</a></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
From the book on: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11771994-red-glove">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442403403">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-glove-holly-black/1100058567">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Red-Glove-Holly-Black/9781442403390">The Book Depository</a></blockquote>
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<i>This review doesn't contain spoilers, so go ahead! Read on! ;)(This is going to be pretty short, since I've said most of what I had to say in my review of book 1, White Cat.)</i><br />
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Again, I am astonished with the pure smartness of this book. This time, the story was more of a murder mystery, and I just love how Holly Black never held onto any evidence, instead placing it all on the table, letting us discover things alongside Cassel. I have read mysteries that drop hints by brushing over something significant with only a sentence or two. Some may admire it, but I call it misleading. Luckily, this never happens in this book :) Oh, and I just love all the con knowledge and such. Con works actually requires a vast range of knowledge, and though I don't think I would ever be a con person myself, it's still so fun to read about them. Especially with motion deceptions, they are so true!<br />
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This is not much of a plot twist or climax this time, but everything flew through well and kept me interested 'til the end. Plus, trying to intercept Cassel's actions is fascinating enough, he is a guy full of surprises, and he's actually very loyal to his family, while his family members all have a secret agenda of their own.<br />
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The political aspects are toned down a little for this book, but there is still our protagonist dancing around the edge of law (actually, he does plenty of illegal stuff :P). And the whole proposition 2 thing is pretty new in YA books, where we seldom talk about politics.<br />
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I have grown a fond love for Cassel and his (real) friends, Sam and Dancea. The characters are all full of surprises, and all have their own characteristics. I still loath Lila, but I will bear with her, since Cassel likes her :P<br />
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I would give this book 4 stars. Red Glove is a good installment to the Curse Workers series with its colorful characters, thick mystery and originality in including little parts of politics in its plot. Personally, I like solving murder mysteries more than facing life-and-death experiences (book one), but both books are good. And I should confess this, I read about 30 pages of Red Glove before I started White Cat. Not that I wanted to, but I grabbed the wrong book by mistake and didn't notice it :P Despite not having read the first book at all, I had no problem understanding the first 30 or so pages of the book, it goes to show that Holly Black does nice recaps of her previous books, she doesn't throw a recap at you with a lengthy paragraph and the main protagonist launching into a monologue of we happened in the last book :P I would recommend this book to YA mystery and crime novels readers, they are gonna love the conspiracy and mystery featured in this book! :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZoi3y8Z99DVfV87IxNQK7WLoE9ETYUFNkXrIABpkrd2alYXRcFtlnnyeyCce5X6MmKFxzBHgLMP4SzkOr9RBqgTLrP1RySz1KL5tx6ZR7cdf230wO-A_EjpZuov4BTlYVbAMJ1_Hs4Z-/s1600/4stars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZoi3y8Z99DVfV87IxNQK7WLoE9ETYUFNkXrIABpkrd2alYXRcFtlnnyeyCce5X6MmKFxzBHgLMP4SzkOr9RBqgTLrP1RySz1KL5tx6ZR7cdf230wO-A_EjpZuov4BTlYVbAMJ1_Hs4Z-/s1600/4stars.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ratings: 4 stars!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Do you like murder mysteries? Any must-reads? I would love to expand my TBR list ;) Did you like White Cat? What about this book? Better or worse? Personally I think this book is better. The mystery is deeper, and while there are no "ah ha" moments, I love it :)</b></i></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-80216401180069314262012-11-19T05:46:00.000-08:002012-11-19T05:46:23.891-08:00Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338613368l/8490112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338613368l/8490112.jpg" height="200" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Author:</b> Laini Taylor</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Publisher:</b> Little, Brown & Company</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b> <span id="freeText13001590277015331828"><i>Around the world,
black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged
strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. </i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText13001590277015331828"><i>In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. </i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText13001590277015331828"><i>And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.</i></span><span id="freeText13001590277015331828"></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText13001590277015331828">Meet
Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be
real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks
many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually
grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that
haunts her, and she's about to find out.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText13001590277015331828">When one of the
strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in
an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets
unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent
past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?</span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone">GoodReads</a></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
From the book on: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316134023">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-laini-taylor/1100051896">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Daughter-Smoke-Bone-Laini-Taylor/9780316224352">The Book Depository</a></blockquote>
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Gosh, this is a really great book, with its epic story line, the wholeness and richness of the world-building, even of its slightly strange aspects, this book is close to perfection in my opinion.<br />
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First of all, I must say I love all the mysteries set up from the start of the book. Black hand prints on doors? Made by mysterious people with winged shadows? I am sure you could guess what species these strangers are, but you don't know the rest, and I am sure you will be delighted to find out ;)<br />
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Second, I love all the strangeness (in a good way) of the book, especially at the start. When we were introduced to Karou, a girl with blue hair naturally growing out of her head, runs secret errands for her sort-of-family, I was immediately riveted by her. She was just such an interesting character that I couldn't help but want to find out more about her. And knowing her we did, and the pull Karou had on me kind of vanished, with her secrets being peeled and we saw her, knew her. But by then the story had already drawn me in and even without the urge to know all about this peculiar main character, I still read on, and was deeply satisfied with my experience :)<br />
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Which brought me to the third thing, the <i>wholeness</i> of this book. There was a past-life story line going on there and I was glad that the mysteries of the past was revealed slowly, chapter by chapter, bits by bits, mostly through out the book (the last part had more of the past, but it was so cool, I loved it!). There was not really a second when this book was boring, or any parts or events that were redundant. The story was fully developed with a solid back-story, amazing world-building and mysterious and intriguing characters.<br />
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I did have a small complaint, that was that the romance aspect actually took up too much of the story, if you ask me. I am not really a fan of romance, but I don't hate it. Every book has a little romance, sometimes even the whole book is a love story, and those were the kinds that I am quite annoyed with. The whole romance just felt a little too boring to me, I mean some moments were sweet, by too much really made me wanna gag, and I felt that this book had gone a bit overboard. But that's just my opinion, I know a lot of people love books that have a bigger romance aspect in them, or even a whole romance novel, and I am sure this book's love story will be satisfying to you ;)<br />
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By the way, I absolutely loved the writing, the prose. It was so lyrical, beautiful, the prose helped wove a beautiful yet tragic love story with the most unique world-building I have ever seen! At times the whole metaphor and analogy thing might me a little annoying, when you just want to know what happens next, but most of them are good, and the third person POV blended into the story perfectly. I was aware of it, not like when I read The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers, when I didn't even realize I was reading it, but it was still very good and worked well with the story. Plus the transition of POVs was not confusing at all, and there weren't actually that many POVs, just two, so I am good :)<br />
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Oh, the world-building, where do I begin? It was so great, everything about it was just so well thought-out, there were no holes in it at all. Well, maybe some tiny ones, but those could be easily overlooked. The whole world-building was very imaginative, the paranormal aspect was so unique, it definitely made it stand out of all the paranormal novels being sell these days.<br />
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The story was first set in Prague, and most of the story happened there. I have never been to Prague, but I liked it. The way Taylor described Prague, it sounded like a beautiful city, yet I could feel the melancholy in the air, in between the lines, and that fitted the story pretty well. Hack, this book made me want to go to Prague!<br />
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Like I said before, there were some really interesting characters in this book. Karou, as an example, and Akiva too. His story felt a little less riveting as Karou's, but no doubt it was a sad one. I absolutely love Zuzana. She is Karou's best friend and I really liked her. She might get ignored a lot because Karou always had to read secret errands, but she didn't really left her side, no matter how hurt she was that her best friend was hiding secrets from her. She didn't really appear in the last half of the book, but I would really want to see her more, and I am sure Karou does too! ;)<br />
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I would give this book 4.5 stars! Why not 5 stars you ask? Since I sounded like a salesperson just there, keep ranting on about how great the book is? Well, because the romance kind of annoyed me, so the 0.5 star was gone :P Anyway, it was still a very good book, a little too long for a relaxing read, but it was definitely worth reading. You could read it one part at a time if you don't have time to finish it in one sitting, and the beauty of the book is, it has short chapters! Really, I am that kind of person who couldn't put down a book unless I finish the chapter I was reading, and the short chapters really did justice :P Daughter of Smoke & Bone is a high fantasy novel with unique world-building, mysterious and eccentric characters (at least at first glimpse they were :P And I meant that in a good way) and a bitter-sweet love story that I am sure readers will enjoy, though some parts are a little too much for me. I would recommend this book to every reader out there, the paranormal aspects of this book is really different, the love story was flushed out, though at first it felt a little like insta-love, it turns it wasn't. Hope you will enjoy this book! :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rating: 4.5 stars!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-19912916522008763742012-11-18T05:31:00.003-08:002012-11-18T05:31:58.884-08:00Weekly Wrap-Up (4)Sorry for the missing posts this week and last week...Anyway, check out some new books that I bought! ;) (Linked to Goodreads!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7991200-angel">Angel (US: Angel Burn) by L.A. Weatherly (Angel #1)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6574102-heist-society">Heist Society by Ally Carter (Heist Society #1)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13449242-debutantes">Debutantes by Cora Harrison</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6882274-the-mockingbirds">The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (The Mockingbirds #1)</a></div>
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<u><b>This week's posts:</b></u></div>
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<b>Monday:</b> None, sorry :(</div>
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<b>Tuesday:</b> Okay, I know I was acting out of line but I didn't post anything either :P</div>
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<b>Wednesday:</b> <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-white-cat-by-holly-black-curse.html">Review: White Cat by Holly Black (Curse Workers #1)</a></div>
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<b>Thursday:</b> Another undeserved break...</div>
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<b>Friday:</b> <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/11/feature-follow-9.html">Weekly meme: Feature & Follow (9)</a></div>
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<b>Saturday:</b> None, I was going to post a review but I couldn't finish Daughter of Smoke & Bone in time, it was good, but I am in sort of a reading rut these past week, I had to will myself to finish White Cat :P (Not that it was bad or anything)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Okay, that's it for this week's wrap-up guys! Did you have a good reading week? Actually mine wasn't really that great. I had all these desire to start a new book when I see an awesome cover, then halfway through I just keep hoping the book would end soon, and the book wasn't really that horrible! I think I am having some sort of reading ADHD, I can't stay in a same book and finish it... Ugh, any cure? I am going to try reading the Dead is series books by Marlene Perez since her books are all super short yet jam-packed with mystery, it would be a good pick-me-up read, but if this doesn't work, I don't know what will... :(</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Q: Books are turned into movies all the time! Turn it around. What movie would make a great book?</b></span></blockquote>
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Movie into books... Can I say TV shows? I am not exactly a fan of movies :P Just thinking about sitting there for 2 hours makes my butt fall asleep... Well, if it was about TV shows I would say that Once Upon A Time would make a great book series! It would be a wonderful retellings. The show basically had all the elements of a retellings. Dark story lines. Check. A modern twist on the orginial. Check. Plus, it has two main story lines, Storykrook (modern world) and the fairy tales world, these two story lines intertwined all the time, which definitely would look great in a book! Now that I have wrote this, I actually wanted to see the TV show made into a book! :P<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="13" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>What about you guys? What movie would you like to b<span style="font-size: large;">e made<span style="font-size: large;"> into a book?</span></span></b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-57760866833100918892012-11-14T04:56:00.002-08:002012-11-14T04:56:31.647-08:00Review: White Cat by Holly Black (Curse Workers #1)<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331930790l/8058030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331930790l/8058030.jpg" height="200" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> White Cat (Curse Workers #1)</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Author:</b> Holly Black </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal, Mystery</blockquote>
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<b>Publisher:</b> Margaret K. McElderry Books</blockquote>
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<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeTextContainer1323330739129630221"> </span><span id="freeText5019331582840678882">Cassel comes from a
family of Curse Workers - people who have the power to change your
emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their
hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all criminals. Many
become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn't got magic, so
he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have
to ignore one small detail - he killed his best friend, Lila, three
years ago.</span> </blockquote>
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<span id="freeText5019331582840678882">Cassel has carefully
built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade
starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the
night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him
something. He's noticing other disturbing things too, including the
strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him.
As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he must
unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will
have to out-con the conmen.</span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6087756-white-cat">GoodReads</a></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
From the book on: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6087756-white-cat">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416963960">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/white-cat-holly-black/1100374585">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/White-Cat-Holly-Black/9781416963974">The Book Depository</a></blockquote>
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I don't know how to describe this book, only that everything is not what it seems and many things in this book turned out to be a con. Con is a main focus of this book, and though I haven't read any con stories before, I liked it. I love books that have heavy mystery, books that make me think (not in a philosophic way, though those are good too) and this book provided just that.<br />
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Cassel woke up from his sleep and found himself standing on the roof, ready to jump. He survived, though somewhat disgracefully, but the school has suspended him. In his leave from school, he went to live with his granddad, and was rewarded with a mystery so big that it could change his whole life... <br />
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The plot is fairly interesting, I love reading about the con work, since it's a complete new territory for me. As I have said before, I love the mystery, and despite the mystery factor, the plot was easy to follow. However, even though the book was all kinds of awesome, I just couldn't get into it. I found myself constantly reading the book then putting it back down after several minutes. It's not that there was anything wrong with the story, or even the writing, but I just couldn't get myself psyched for it at all. There was some close-calls, but I wasn't gripping the book when I read through these parts. There was clearly a climax, yet I didn't find myself racing through the pages, dying to know what happens next. Everything just flows through and I have nothing to criticize about the book, even though I didn't like at all that much. It's kind of weird :P<br />
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I just love the idea of curse workers! It's pretty creative. There are 7 types of curse workers: emotional, luck, death, physical, memory, dream and transformation. Their abilities are pretty self-explanatory from the names, so I won't spend time talking about that. There are blowbacks when you curse someone, so you don't really see workers roaming freely in the book, but the setting did make the book more interesting.<br />
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Almost every character in this book have a secret agenda, and each are just as cunning and suspicious of others as the other. Cassel Sharpe is our guy, the main focus of the story. He is the non-worker in a family of workers, so he's kind of a black sheep in that area, but not in the con part. He is smart, I am sure everyone who finished this book would give him that, but somethings it's a bit irritating that he pretty much let people throw him around like a punchbag. I wanted him to man up, but he didn't really change that much throughout the story. So...<br />
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I hate Lila. She's kind of a love interest for Cassel, and I hate her! She's a self-centered, spoiled brat, and the whole bullying thing doesn't really do it for me. I hate her attitude towards Cassel, she was one of those people that pushed Cassel around and that's not okay with me. I know she has problems of her own but that's not the way to treat the person that's supposed to be your "best friend", according to the blurb.<br />
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The characters that I do like are Sam and Daneca. They are Cassel's friends, and it's nice to finally see someone treat Cassel right.<br />
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I would give this book 3.5 stars. The book is basically one big conspiracy and I love it. I love the smartness behind the story, how things are linked, how Cassel solved the mystery. But somehow this book lacked that something that pulls me in and keep me reading 'til the end. I wasn't really that motivated to read the book, hence the delayed review (this was supposed to go up on Monday :P). Now that I have reviewed it, I still couldn't find what exactly was the book missing, but it was still a worthwhile read. I would recommend this book to YA paranormal and crime story readers, the "crime" in this book will not disappoint, hope you guys will have a better reading experience than me ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZoi3y8Z99DVfV87IxNQK7WLoE9ETYUFNkXrIABpkrd2alYXRcFtlnnyeyCce5X6MmKFxzBHgLMP4SzkOr9RBqgTLrP1RySz1KL5tx6ZR7cdf230wO-A_EjpZuov4BTlYVbAMJ1_Hs4Z-/s1600/4stars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZoi3y8Z99DVfV87IxNQK7WLoE9ETYUFNkXrIABpkrd2alYXRcFtlnnyeyCce5X6MmKFxzBHgLMP4SzkOr9RBqgTLrP1RySz1KL5tx6ZR7cdf230wO-A_EjpZuov4BTlYVbAMJ1_Hs4Z-/s1600/4stars.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ratings: 3.5 stars!</td></tr>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Are you a fan of crime stories? What do you know about the art of con? What kind of curse workers would you want to be? Do you like the book? It's my first time reading Holly Black and I kind of have a high expectation, and it was okay Not striking though :)</span></b></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-34174829719456226882012-11-09T03:36:00.003-08:002012-11-09T03:36:40.367-08:00Feature & Follow (8)Another week had pass by, how is your week? I got most of my test result this week (except one subject, the wait is killing me :P) and most of them are pretty good but not as good as I expected, I have to work harder! ;) This week's question is:<br />
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<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted rgb(255, 0, 144); padding: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Q: Do you mind books with similar ideas to other books? Similar concepts, backgrounds, retellings or pulled-to-publish fanfic?</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">No, </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">I don't mind books having similar ideas, and I actually quite like retellings<span style="font-size: small;">!<span style="font-size: small;"> For example,<span style="font-size: small;"> there a<span style="font-size: small;">re tons of paranormal books out there that have <span style="font-size: small;">the almost <span style="font-size: small;">same structure of the paranormal world,</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">but<span style="font-size: small;"> as long as the <span style="font-size: small;">plot is <span style="font-size: small;">good and <span style="font-size: small;">the author <span style="font-size: small;">is able to add her own flair to it</span>, I am okay. I mean, <span style="font-size: small;">some ideas are hard to not be reused, like the whol<span style="font-size: small;">e love<span style="font-size: small;">-tri<span style="font-size: small;">angle thing and <span style="font-size: small;">vampires and stuff<span style="font-size: small;">, so I think as a reader we can't expect everything from a book <span style="font-size: small;">is completely origi<span style="font-size: small;">nal, because that's not possible. We all live in the <span style="font-size: small;">same <span style="font-size: small;">world<span style="font-size: small;">, sometimes even the same society, so some <span style="font-size: small;">author</span>'s thinking <span style="font-size: small;">route</span> might be s<span style="font-size: small;">imilar to another a<span style="font-size: small;">uthor, but as long as they could use the s<span style="font-size: small;">imilar concepts, i<span style="font-size: small;">deas, backgr<span style="font-size: small;">ound<span style="font-size: small;">s <span style="font-size: small;">to spin it into their own story<span style="font-size: small;">, th<span style="font-size: small;">ere's actually nothing to complain about. Of course, there's a fine line between similar and do<span style="font-size: small;">wn right <span style="font-size: small;">plagiarizing, so far I haven't <span style="font-size: small;">read any book that seemed <span style="font-size: small;">like it was ripped f<span style="font-size: small;">rom another book, which is <span style="font-size: small;">a good thing<span style="font-size: small;"> :) As for retellings, I love them! <span style="font-size: small;">Well, as least fair<span style="font-size: small;">y tales retellings. Some <span style="font-size: small;">f</span>airy tales </span></span></span></span></span></span>are just so bright and <span style="font-size: small;">h<span style="font-size: small;">appy<span style="font-size: small;">, and I like that usuallt fairy tales retellings could be a little more dark, they are definitely <span style="font-size: small;">fairy tales for Young Adults! As for fan<span style="font-size: small;">fic, I m<span style="font-size: small;">ust say I don't read fanfic, because I mostly don't like reading on the c<span style="font-size: small;">omputer, no<span style="font-size: small;">r do <span style="font-size: small;">I always agree with what other people intercept <span style="font-size: small;">the</span> characters from the novel from which the fanfic was based on<span style="font-size: small;">, and you must admit, some fanifcs are h<span style="font-size: small;">orrible<span style="font-size: small;">.<span style="font-size: small;"> I have n<span style="font-size: small;">ever read any pulled-to-publish fan<span style="font-size: small;">fic, but I don't think <span style="font-size: small;">I'll be reading them in the near future. As I ha<span style="font-size: small;">ve said, I am sure some<span style="font-size: small;">thing will be different in these book<span style="font-size: small;">s and I <span style="font-size: small;">don't w<span style="font-size: small;">ant it to aff<span style="font-size: small;">ect my view on the original novel/series. So no fanfic, thank<span style="font-size: small;"> you <span style="font-size: small;">very much. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">What about you? <span style="font-size: small;">How do you like books <span style="font-size: small;">that are quite similar<span style="font-size: small;">? Do you love them because you love the ideas? Or do you hate them because <span style="font-size: small;">you think the idea was<span style="font-size: small;"> not <span style="font-size: small;">being used we<span style="font-size: small;">ll in the other book? I mostly just treat every book as an individual, I rarely compare them, 'cause that would be quite unfair, because all books have their own unique features<span style="font-size: small;">, even if the book<span style="font-size: small;">s are in the s<span style="font-size: small;">ame genre, the comparing is <span style="font-size: small;">still not fair. How a<span style="font-size: small;">bout retellings? And fani<span style="font-size: small;">fics? Comment below :)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-55320711826396726612012-11-07T04:43:00.003-08:002012-11-07T04:43:55.682-08:00Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass (The Selection #1)<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1322103400l/10507293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1322103400l/10507293.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> The Selection (The Selection #1)</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Author:</b> Kiera Cass</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Publisher:</b> HarperTeen</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeTextContainer1323330739129630221"> </span><span id="freeText11738343227768949845">For thirty-five girls,
the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the
life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of
glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete
for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText11738343227768949845">But for America Singer,
being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret
love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a
fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that
is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText11738343227768949845"></span><span id="freeText11738343227768949845">Then America meets
Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made
for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not
compare to a future she never imagined.</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-Taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection">GoodReads</a></i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
From the book on: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062059939">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-selection-kiera-cass/1106580335">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Selection-Kiera-Cass/9780007466696">The Book Depository</a></blockquote>
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I actually didn't quite know how to write this review. Not that The Selection was a bad book, but it wasn't a particularly good one. Sure, it was refreshing in all the Dystopia novels that somehow always include intense fighting scenes and being on the side of the revolutionaries. But it lacked some intriguing plots, and though I found that I enjoyed the book, it wasn't all that outstanding compared to all the great books I've read this year.<br />
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In this dystopia world, people were divided into eight castes. The Ones being royals and the Eights being the lowest. America Singer was a Five, which meant that her family was poor, and when the chance of the Selection came, her mother urged to join so they could at least have the chance to finally step out of poverty. The Selection was actually a competition of sorts held for the purpose of finding the prince, Maxon, a wife. Since America had a secret lover in home, she refused to join, but after some persuasion from both her boyfriend and her family, she relented and joined, thinking she wouldn't even have a chance to be chosen within thousands of girls to be the one of the 35 competitors. She was wrong, obviously, and she was picked, so within weeks America was flew off to the palace and began the competition with 34 girls to win the prince's heart.<br />
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The premise sounded quite different from the usual dystopia novel, right? That's 'cause it is! To be honest, it was a little too similar to The Hunger Games at first but this one was more of a romance novel, with a sub-plot that featured, you guessed, revolutionaries that revolted against the royals that ruled the country. I wasn't a big romance fan but I must say the fast pace of the book really kept me reading, and I had an interest to learn more about the revolutionaries.<br />
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However, though many events happened throughout the book, if you looked at it in a big picture, nothing much actually happened. We had the start of the Selection, and I thought at least by the end of this book the Selection would be over, but it was clear that it would be stretched to the next book, with only 6 girls left as The Elite. We had a couple intrusion from the revolutionaries, but they actually never had any direct contact with our protagonist, so there were really no excitement from the sub-plot. We also had a love triangle but needless to say that was not resolved. And a little mystery from a friend America made during the Selection, which wasn't revealed in this book either. Actually, I just recalled all the big events that happened in the book, yup, that little, and there were not much progress on the plot lines except The Selection part, so you could actually guess how slow the plot development was for this book. I know I did just say it was fast-paced, but I meant that in a sense that events followed very closely, but most of these events had little significance to the plot :P<br />
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One more complaint, the plot twists, or may I say, the climax was seriously lacking. Actually, there were no climax at all. I think the intrusion from the revolutionaries were supposed to be the climax, but let me tell, they were <i>hiding</i> during that particular part. Yes, so no excitements or any action more than a few ladies running around in their dresses or robes. Let me tell you, a book that has no climax is <i>not</i> okay with me.<br />
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Though I seemed to have some pretty big stuff to pick at, The Selection actually was a good read. It was entertaining when reading, but when I tried to review the events happened in the book, I found how little plot development there was. No worries, if you are not especially picky, this book will be a good light read. But the next HG or Twilight? No way. (And Harry Potter can never be compared or replaced by another series :P)<br />
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Dystopia novels rely heavy on their world-building, and the world building for this book was average. The whole caste idea actually wasn't new, I am sure you would have seen it in almost all dystopia books, but the whole monarchy thing was new, it brought a slightly historic sense to the story even though it was set in the future. There were also a little history on how Illea came to be. But honestly? I couldn't figure out why it had to be monarchy. There was no reason to start the royal system at all from what I gathered from the little history we had on Illea, and that part wasn't all that explained and developed, so I was a little disappointed at this.<br />
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Well, I didn't take a particular liking to any of the characters in the book at all. But America was an admirable protagonist.<br />
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America was a strong woman, not the fighting kind, like Tris from the Divergent Trilogy, but in the way that she stood her ground on things that didn't make sense and unfair. And she was kind. She was kind to almost everyone, and I think that's a really good quality, a likable one too, though I didn't particularly like her.<br />
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Maxon is the prince, the one that America resented at the start but loved towards the end. He was a really charming (pun intended) character, and there really was no bad qualities about him. To be honest, I think he and Aspen, the other love interest, needs more distinct characterization. If you remove the whole Aspen-being-a-Six-and-Maxon-a-royal thing, there was actually nothing special about the two guys at all, they both love America, and they are willing to fight for her, and that's it. Aspen is smart, but Maxon is smart too. Aspen is strong, and America did say she could feel Maxon' muscles underneath his suit. Maxon is kind, and I am sure Aspen is kind too. Now you could see how similar these love interests are, and with the overdone love triangle, I think Cass had to step up her game in writing one with two more extreme guys.<br />
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I know The Selection was a well-received book, and I couldn't deny it had its attraction, but overall, I think this book kind of fell flat to me. So I would give it 2.5 stars. The book needed more plot developments as well as more sub-plots beside The Selection and the revolutions that are not happening. The world-building needed to be more flushed out and the characters need more distinct traits. Despite all these flaws, I did have a good time reading it as it was a very fast and light read with only 327 pages. The ending was kind of abrupt but I would be looking forward to the next book, just because I want to know what will happen. I recommend this book to all YA dystopia fans, this is one unique dystopia with the lack of a kick-ass heroine, but was special and interesting in its own way. Hope you will enjoy it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rating: 2.5 stars!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Although I have many critics, I think this is a good start for a debut author, so, keep up the good work, Cass! What do you think of the book? (I wanted to think of more directive questions but couldn't think of any. I couldn't ask you which caste you would want to be in 'cause that was pretty obvious, and not which guy to choose because many of you might not even have read the book. It's kind of hard for me to come up with questions:P) Anyway, anything that you want to note, just comment below! ;)</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-6847684505537292132012-11-06T04:30:00.004-08:002012-11-07T05:14:46.487-08:00Books? That's My Thing!: Fairy Tales Yes, this week we are gonna talk about fairy tales! No, that's not because it was the first thing that flashed before my head when I finally sat down and wrote the post. Actually, I was just as clueless as you might be about fairytales. You must have read or at least heard of some of fairy tales when you were a kid, but ever wandered what actually deemed them as fairy tales?<br />
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I did a little research (more like typing fairy tales in Wiki and copy the the first definition of it :P) A fairy tale is supposed to be a short story that features all kinds of mystical creatures. Fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, whatever, and it usually was sprang from a legend or has a hidden meaning behind it (I'd like to say that should count as a fable, but that's what the Wiki said :P). A fairy tale doesn't always concerns a fairy, so why was it called a fairy tale? Well, it was all pretty much out on the Internet but I will tell you. Fairy tales were first discovered and loved in France, in France, they call these stories "conte de fee", and it translate to "fairy tale"! (Yup, pretty straight forward story. Although I still wanted to know why the French would name it that way in the first place...)<br />
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Anyway, despite the definition, I must say the meaning of a fairy tale is still pretty general and vague. For example, all the paranormal novels we now read always have some sort of mythical creature or magic in it, so does this means paranormal novels are also fairy tales? Personally, I have some theories on how to identify a fairy tale. But as usual, they are flawed. Plus the subject was kind of debated by literary figures over the years, so they definitely are very rough ideas... Well, here we go.<br />
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The first thing that I thought is that it had to be <b>set in an imagined land/place</b>, not a real place. I felt that a lot when I was reading fairy tales (when I was a kid, of course), the feeling that you are reading a story that happened in a secret region, a region where magic was possible, it just made the whole thing all the more fantastical. Though there were actually YA books out there that happened in imagined and totally different universes, like:<br />
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Basically all high fantasy novels fit this description :P<br />
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The second thing was that it <b>happens in the past, an older time period, not in the modern days</b>. Or if the story prefers, their own period of time as well. Seriously, usually fairy tales happened during times when everywhere were still using monarchy, so I would consider a fairy tale as something that happened in the old times, or on their own level of time (that takes some world-building). Of course there are also a wide variety of YA books out there that had this particular element. Dystopian novels are already very good examples. And since I am too lazy to paste covers again, you would just have to find dystopain novels yourself... ;P<br />
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The third thing is that there are <b>no sub-plots</b>. Have you ever read a version of Red Riding Hood that captured two parts of lives in the story, like one for Liitle Red Riding Hood and the other one for her friends and relatives or whatsoever. That never happens even though there were tons of endings to the book that some even included cannibalism. A little gross...:( This one would be hard to find in any novels at all, because I am pretty sure a novel must include at least one or two sub-plots.<br />
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And that's pretty much it, if a story consisted of these 3 elements I would consider it a fairy tale. <br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"> So, I've made myself clear as to what I think count as fairy tales, how about you? What do you think fairy tales are? How would you consider a book is a fairy tale? What's you favorite fairy tale? Comment below! :)</span></i></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-84808852546336273242012-11-05T03:34:00.001-08:002012-11-05T03:34:42.580-08:00Review: The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327162349l/9266804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327162349l/9266804.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Author:</b> Lynn Weingarten</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Publisher:</b> Harper Teen</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeTextContainer1323330739129630221"> </span><span id="freeTextContainer882145455439760700">If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave.</span><span id="freeText882145455439760700"></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText882145455439760700">The first day of
sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart
from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and
instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her.
Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through
homeroom, let alone the rest of her life.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText882145455439760700">Enter three stunning
girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t
refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one
of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and
has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But
to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the
old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText882145455439760700">While
the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to
get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she
willing to cross to get what she wants?</span> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9266804-the-secret-sisterhood-of-heartbreakers">Goodreads</a></span></i></blockquote>
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The plot of The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers are pretty simple, and rang true to the title. Lucy, our main character (this book was written in 3rd person POV), just got dumped by her boyfriend Alex, needless to say she was heartbroken, then something magical happened. A senior names Olivia offered her a chance to join The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers, and from then on we got to see Lucy's journey morphing into a better, less pathetic version of herself.<br />
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The plot was pretty cute. There weren't really complex storylines, nor were there unfathomable mysteries, but this still sucked me in. Mostly I thought it was the idea behind the book that lured me. Heartbreakers, which in truth were a little like witches, as you could see from the blurb on the back of the book, were a really refreshing idea, and a fun new way to write a coming-of-age story about dealing with heartbreaks. And of course, we had our favorite ingredient, magic.<br />
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Though the book concerned magic, I would still call it a contemporary read. It was sort of a story of how Lucy got over her heartbreak, and the process wasn't all that magical at all. Plus it brought us to some important philosophies such as how we viewed ourselves were actually reflected on how other people viewed us, nobody was absolutely perfect, but the idea was to believe we were good, not perfect, just good, and don't look down on yourself. That itself was a very important advice and the book delivered it without burdening the story at all. That made the book a very meaningful read.<br />
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The book actually just span for seven days (eight days if you count the last few ending chapters), but out main character had changed a lot during these seven days. It was actually quite unrealistic, I mean, you couldn't change a person in seven days, at least not in the way Lucy did. She practically grew out of her old shell, not that it was bad, just that it happened within seven days was kind of unbelievable. Oh well, that was a small complaint compared to the whole goodiness of the book :P<br />
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I also wanted to note the writing. It was really good. The book was told in 3rd person and if you had looked at some old posts you would know I usually hated them, but I liked the 3rd person narrative of this book! It flew seamlessly and there were no awkward moments at all, plus I was so into the book that I actually didn't realize it was in 3rd person until I took a break. I felt like I was looking at the whole story through Lucy's eyes, even though it was not in 1st narrative. It was definitely good and was a good example to 3rd person narrative books. I have read ones that was written awkwardly that I was very aware when the narrative moved from the mind of one character to another, it was quite annoying actually, but The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers didn't have this problem at all!<br />
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The magic in this book was really unique. Unique as in it wasn't dark at all. Often I've seen books with magic element in it that portrayed it as dark, and sometimes, evil. For example the latest book that I've read, Beautiful Creatures actually featured magic as kind of dark too. Even Harry Potter portrayed magic at as a dark tool, at least in the later books. So there was no mistaking that many magic books that contained magic was also kind heavy, or dark. But not this one. The idea behind the magic was still pretty general stuff, although the broken-heart-tear thing was new and very fitting, it wouldn't stand out from all the magic books out there if the story was more dark. But since the book portrayed it as a more "light" thing, it made the book stood out. That was really good :)<br />
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I had a pretty neutral feeling towards all of the characters. I didn't particularly like one character more than the other, or hate anyone (well except Alex, from the moment she broke up with Lucy, I knew he was not a good guy for her. Still Lucy had to stumble back to him, it was actually pathetic :P) in particular.<br />
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To be honest, I actually hated Lucy during the first half of the book. She was so pathetic, clinging to someone who broke up with her and clearly didn't like her, hanging around like a puppy. Plus she totally lacked social skills, she would constantly went mute at times, because she was too <i>afraid</i> to say anything, which annoyed me a lot. Luckily as the story progress she became more brave(?), well, at least she had better social skills, and she was confident too.<br />
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I never really liked Alex, not one bit. Even from memories of when he and Lucy were together, I knew he wasn't a good boyfriend, at least not to Lucy. He would always ignore her, and except for several moments, I actually couldn't see him show any affection towards Lucy at all. He clearly wasn't as into the relationship as Lucy, and that was well proven at the later part of the story.<br />
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I would give this book 3.5 stars. It was a fun and light read, but I liked my books with a little bit more mystery. The book didn't offer much in terms of plot twists and turns, but it sure flew really well, with big incidents here and there too. They were plot holes, or at least loose ends if the book was to turn into a series, which I would happily buy and read, in the book, but it didn't really killed the enjoyment. I would have given it more stars if the characters were slightly more unique though. One last thing to mention, the cover! It was gorgeous, and I didn't know why, but the cover reminded me of Christmas! Probably was the whole silver and red thing, or maybe it was that the book was released around Christmas :P I would recommend this to young readers of YA, this book was light and the story wasn't too dark, also this would appeal well to readers of contemp books, and paranormal readers could give it a go too, though this book was a little different than usual paranormal reads, this was more "light" ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZoi3y8Z99DVfV87IxNQK7WLoE9ETYUFNkXrIABpkrd2alYXRcFtlnnyeyCce5X6MmKFxzBHgLMP4SzkOr9RBqgTLrP1RySz1KL5tx6ZR7cdf230wO-A_EjpZuov4BTlYVbAMJ1_Hs4Z-/s1600/4stars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZoi3y8Z99DVfV87IxNQK7WLoE9ETYUFNkXrIABpkrd2alYXRcFtlnnyeyCce5X6MmKFxzBHgLMP4SzkOr9RBqgTLrP1RySz1KL5tx6ZR7cdf230wO-A_EjpZuov4BTlYVbAMJ1_Hs4Z-/s1600/4stars.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rating: 3.5 stars (I didn't have 3.5 stars image, so this one will have to do :P</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Phew, we are finally back on schedule! This book was great, I read it in like 5 hours or so. So, some questions for you guys, what kind of sisterhood would you like to join? Would you want to be a heartbreaker? It isn't as bad as it sounds ;) Did you enjoy the book? Cool cover, right? There were quite a few loose ends, would you like a sequel and what would you want it to be about? Comment below, I am waiting :)</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-36344352106077708332012-11-04T06:01:00.001-08:002012-11-04T06:01:36.992-08:00Weekly Wrap-Up (3)The week's over! And I had a lot of reading and writing waiting ahead of me for missing so many reviews this week, and NaNoWriMo was going well, considering, thanks for all of your support and luck ;) So, this week I basically only posted two memes and one review, but I will do a recap anyway. I bought tons of books this week though, and I couldn't wait to share it with you guys!<br />
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Monday: I was supposed to post a review, but I couldn't finish Beautiful Creatures on time :(<br />
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Tuesday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/books-thats-my-thing-my-life-on-day-of.html">Books? That's My Thing: My Life on the Day of Halloween</a> (I probably had the most boring life ever, so don't hold high hopes for this one, there were no ghostly encounters, costumes or even candies in the post... :P)<br />
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Wednesday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-beautiful-creatures-by-kami.html">Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl</a> (I posted this one in a hurry and didn't review, needless to say I found tons of typos and problem sentences later, but I still didn't edit it. I used "though" three times in three corresponding sentences, what is happening to me?)<br />
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Thursday: Where I took a <span class="queryn" id="queryn">gratuitous break, I should be ashamed...</span><br />
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<span class="queryn" id="queryn"> Friday: I posted <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/11/nanowrimo.html">a random rambling about joining NaNoWriMo this year</a>, thanks for all of your support, let's work to the goal together! (I am currently on 5867 words by the way)</span><br />
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<span class="queryn" id="queryn">Saturday: Again, nothing... *sigh*</span><span class="queryn" id="queryn"></span><span class="queryn" id="queryn"> </span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="13" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Books I bought this week!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" height="13" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>~From the bookstore (I spent hours finding these books!)~</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk50rCM3LxpUFvR8X5PLWrfgg9pohKjqdOZuJjhojet2kKHa33kinA2d0e7tOpBqYGrn9e8gmiPXNZOrgBeT1_Muzv8mk0-ej5hvI4F2TJ0ZOCcNhkWyNfGwrbDtr8ibR66oQ-XUvVhqmf/s1600/487_2012110416020000_20121104_160244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk50rCM3LxpUFvR8X5PLWrfgg9pohKjqdOZuJjhojet2kKHa33kinA2d0e7tOpBqYGrn9e8gmiPXNZOrgBeT1_Muzv8mk0-ej5hvI4F2TJ0ZOCcNhkWyNfGwrbDtr8ibR66oQ-XUvVhqmf/s1600/487_2012110416020000_20121104_160244.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_2WX2GdQuA-Hub7rUO0NRxHtioy0iGdHbx-Fr5w0dKYR_SK_ckPo5g7-xIHH1o2haQc6oCeS9G9fxCbXWqqWcLarvO8RgoUxdpSvc1nr-5qzM9dE70LxuVdOksnDvgVyZUxdnDMYDWf-/s1600/488_2012110416030000_20121104_160315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_2WX2GdQuA-Hub7rUO0NRxHtioy0iGdHbx-Fr5w0dKYR_SK_ckPo5g7-xIHH1o2haQc6oCeS9G9fxCbXWqqWcLarvO8RgoUxdpSvc1nr-5qzM9dE70LxuVdOksnDvgVyZUxdnDMYDWf-/s1600/488_2012110416030000_20121104_160315.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t517/AllysonRida/488_2012110416030000_20121104_160315_zpsf7538133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection">The Selection by Kiera Cass</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/345627.Vampire_Academy">Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9415964-the-magnolia-league">Magnolia League by Katie Crouch</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11715276-born-wicked">Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9266804-the-secret-sisterhood-of-heartbreakers">The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9182478-hourglass">Hourglass by Myra McEntire</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11985913-fathomless">Fathomless by Jackson Pearce</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6487308-fallen">Fallen by Lauren Kate</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8041873-hold-me-closer-necromancer">Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone">Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/305234.Wicked_Lovely">Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6240223-give-up-the-ghost">Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" height="13" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>~From Giveaway~</b></div>
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1349703803l/13573503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1349703803l/13573503.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13573503-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower">The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky</a><b> </b></div>
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<b>Thanks <a href="http://www.exlibriskate.com/">Ex Libris</a> for banned books week giveaway! I am excited to have won! ;)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LLmNsRiEWITlQXCHykEoIROJmvSxk3SwBYXQcKtRPgnChC_IHy6Ud6_v-Kh-RVxo9SMpIPiABBMdcgarZNqf2khAyx4073NUjAYyOP3hLBIMGOksp-7vWYsu6aVCLIuXNKX79jM5sOb/s1600/tagline.png" height="13" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>~From online bookstore (will be in in two weeks! Link to GRs in the photos!)~</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3682.A_Great_and_Terrible_Beauty"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1284558475l/3682.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7656231-a-need-so-beautiful"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1300744024l/7656231.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11300302-alice-in-zombieland"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333628241l/11300302.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15804070-dash-and-lily-s-book-of-dares"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1344394775l/15804070.jpg" height="200" width="130" /><span id="goog_377304937"></span></a><span id="goog_377304938"></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9972838-every-you-every-me"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320533301l/9972838.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13121684-fade-out"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1322498917l/13121684.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10188580-hunting-lila"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327127900l/10188580.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10401084-storm"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1325995724l/10401084.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6006518-strange-angels"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331244487l/6006518.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11979900-take-a-bow"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1344675629l/11979900.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11958033-ten"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1332152297l/11958033.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034113-valkyrie-rising"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1332247199l/13034113.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7211922-wintercraft"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328433594l/7211922.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>How was your week? It had been a bookful week for me! Also a testing week too *pun intended* ;P Comment below! Tell me what new books you've got this week, how was your NaNoWriMo status? :)</b></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-46220016813488430872012-11-02T18:33:00.001-07:002012-11-02T18:33:08.947-07:00NaNoWriMo! Okay, I know this is a little late for a NaNoWriMo post, but I joined it for the first time this year! My goal would be to write 50000 words, so far I've got 3534 words down, I am actually on schedule :) But that's a different thing than writing a <i>good</i> story. I feel like my story is too childish, the plot too stupid, whatever self-doubt you feel when you are writing a novel. The plot actually sounded really good in my head and on my notes, but when I started writing it, the magic's gone :( Of course I tried to hang on to it, maybe things will pick up soon... I hope.<br />
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Anyway, I will be doing a lot of writing this month! Between the blog and NaNoWriMo and school, I don't know how fast I'll read, but I'll try to stick to the posting schedule, three reviews a week, I can do it! Also, my NaNo account name is <a href="http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/user/733167">Usada</a> (linked to my pofile) (it's an old name that I used when I was a kid, I loved Anime back then...) If you guys want to, please add me as your writing buddy, I could use some support, thanks ;)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Have you guys ever joined NaNoWriMo? How does it feels like when you finished a novel? Do you have the same concerns I have when writing a novel? Like you're not sure if the voice of the narrator is too young, too old or the plot was too stupid? Comment below! I am off to write my daily dose of novel :P</b></i></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-20916541222683178742012-11-02T03:01:00.001-07:002012-11-02T03:02:09.543-07:00Feature & Follow (7)Exams are over! Yes! And I think I aced most of the subjects <3 Sorry for the lack of posts this week, I was studying and I couldn't finish the books on time (The Caster Chronicles books are all huge blocks, I am surprised I can finish one in 3 days :P), so I didn't have reviews to post. Yes, I should stack up some reviews so I wouldn't have to work in a haste, but I couldn't read extra fast so 3 books a week is kind of my limit... I actually have a schedule, not that I missed a couple reviews, it was all messed up too... *sigh* It was always like that after the exams, even my desk looks like a battlefield. Well I guess you guys don't want to see me continue my rant so I'll move on to this week's question:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Q: What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can’t deal with bad editing?</b></span></blockquote>
You know, this week's question is kind of similar to last week's question. I actually have almost the same answers. So, I will begin with the example of a DNF book: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10586317-envy">Envy by Gregg Olsen</a>. (I actually have the review right <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/09/review-envy-by-gregg-olsen-empty-coffin.html">here</a>!) See, the deal breaker for me in a book is when it has more than 4 POVs.<br />
I know I said I couldn't take more than 2 before, but that was just irritating, but when there is more than 4... It's horror! Things are happening all over the place, the characters are all flat, because there wasn't enough time for readers to get accustomed to <i>one single character</i>. Plus, like I said, I <b>hate</b> switching POVs! So, um, The Diviners by Libba Bray is definitely not for me. 'Nff said.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>What about you guys? What can't you take in a book than will make you drop it like hot coal? I must apologize again for the lack of posts this week! Sorry guys, <3 you! ;)</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-25828278330199783892012-10-31T06:41:00.002-07:002012-10-31T06:42:08.398-07:00Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Caster Chronicles #1)<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327873282l/6304335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327873282l/6304335.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1) </blockquote>
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<b>Author:</b> Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl</blockquote>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy</blockquote>
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<b>Publisher:</b> Little, Brown and Company</blockquote>
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<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeTextContainer1323330739129630221"> </span><span id="freeTextContainer16229371583578093246"><em>There were no surprises in Gatlin County. <br />We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.</em><br /><em>At least, that's what I thought.</em><br /><em>Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.</em><br /><em>There was a curse.</em><br /><em>There was a girl.</em><br /><em>And in the end, there was a grave.</em></span><span id="freeText16229371583578093246"></span> </blockquote>
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<span id="freeText16229371583578093246">Lena Duchannes is
unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's
struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family
for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps
and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay
hidden forever.</span></blockquote>
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<span id="freeText16229371583578093246">Ethan Wate, who has
been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by
dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the
town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn
to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.</span> </blockquote>
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<span id="freeText16229371583578093246"></span><span id="freeText16229371583578093246">In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-Taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6304335-beautiful-creatures">Goodreads</a></i></span> </blockquote>
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<b>Find the book on:</b> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6304335-beautiful-creatures">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316042676">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beautiful-creatures-kami-garcia/1100163906">Barnes & Noble</a></blockquote>
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This is a good book. It has a enticing storyline, detailed world-building and such, but this book is no light read, literally, I must say it was kind of exhausting adding the extra weight of this book in my bag all the time for the past few days. :P<br />
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I was a little annoyed going into the book at first because I felt like the writing for the first few chapters were really confusing. I don't know if it was just me, but I definitely didn't find myself being sucked in after the first few pages. Loving this book is a growing process, the deeper the story went, the more I saw its depth, its resourcefulness, plus the writing improved <i>a lot</i> in the later part of the book. So, if you were like me, Finding that the book wasn't really that great at first, just push through it, I am sure you will be enjoying the story by the middle of it, tops.<br />
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This one is really a love story of some sort, with paranormals and other tragic things thrown into it, making it a tragic love story. Frankly, that was the part I least enjoyed. I liked almost all the plots, the one about facing fate (which was a big one, BTW), the one about Lena facing her school life (she was an outcast, you know, the whole new-girl-in-small-town setting, but it was kind of enjoyable) and also about Ethan finally letting go of mourning over her mom, about his emotional growth. Those were really good storylines, with depths and many questions of beliefs left for pondering, but somehow, in all of the lovable storylines, the romance failed to capture me. Not that I didn't like the whole we-can't-be-together thing, it's just that I found it a little cliche, and the romance actually took up too much place in the characters' heart. I know, they love each other, but I couldn't believe how they behaved, they were really stupid with the things that did for love. Well, I guess love is blind, I just couldn't take it, but I am sure many would devour this up, so, good ahead ;)<br />
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I love the plot twists in this story. It was genuinely surprising at times, though after the reveal I could see the foreshadowings. The whole book had a lot of climaxes, and I enjoyed most of them. However, I don't know if it was because the book was too long or I was accustomed to the story being slow-flowing, I wasn't gripping the book and racing through the pages when the climax hits. It was still good though :)<br />
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The ending was kind of bittersweet but generally it could be count as a good ending, not happy though. Also, there was no cliff-hanger here, there were some unanswered questions, but assuming from the size of the sequel, Beautiful Darkness, I am sure those would be answered in no time. I found the ending a little rushed. Yes, a book with 563 pages had a rushed ending. But really, things just happened so fast by the end I wasn't sure how it happened, and how it ended. But hey, you can't reveal all your secrets in one book, right? ;)<br />
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There are things that I don't like in the plot, like how long the book is. Some chapters are kind of meaningless, they have little significance to the story. And, again, I must say I <i>hated</i> the beginning. I flat-out hated Ethan's voice at first, by after awhile I got used to it and the book (not the character) started to grow on me. <br />
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I love the world-building of this book! I mean the whole thing is really unique. You have people that acts like witches but not really witches, but Casters, and you have Casters with different talents, they are called unique names too! The history of the Ravenwoods' curse is a pretty good addition too, not the most original though. :P I would like to know histories of Casters families though.<br />
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I absolutely hate the small town settings though. I've read a lot of stories set in small towns, and this town isn't all that different anyway. Everything that happens spread through the whole town by dinner, everyone shuns the new kids, your cliques are determined in your childhood, there's nothing special about all of that. Well, except for the fact that this is a historic town.<br />
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<br /> I don't really think the characters are all that lovable. They are not irritating, I just don't practically like them. Who knows why? They are not exciting or interesting, well, all except for Ridley.<br />
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For example, Ethan, our protagonist, wanted change. Changes from life in the small historic town. <br />You know, I am sure many teenagers want changes too, so it's not an unique thing. That's fine. But how he reacts, his personalities, weren't all that special and distinguishing from other secondary characters either. The only thing that made him our protagonist was his connection with Lena. And as you all know, that's not a romance I swooned over. So no, I didn't connect with him and didn't find him all that special.<br />
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As for Lena, I kind of find her annoying. She's whiny, while I admire her not backing away from things that are unfair and don't-take-shit-from-anyone (excuse the language, it's kind of an expression :P) attitude, I don't like her. She's not bad or anything, but I couldn't connect with her either and I couldn't take love-sick-puppy talk near the end of the book...<br />
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You know, I don't really understand why I hated the romance... Maybe because I just didn't like the two characters, so I didn't like them together. Or because they so clearly belonged to each other that I couldn't really find myself excited when they were actually together, even though they had to climb through <i>many</i> obstacles to finally get there, but to be exact they haven't actually solved all problems yet, so we will see more of how they could finally be together in the next book, woohoo...<br />
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Of course, all the above ranting and complaining actually were just my opinions, I am sure some of you will fall in love with Ethan and Lena and their love story, and if you do, let me know. I would definitely want to hear both sides' opinions ;)<br />
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In short, this is a pretty epic book with lots of exciting plots, an uneasy romance and characters that were willing to embrace changes. I couldn't say I really liked it, because from my complain on the romance, the small-town setting to the characters, you know that I really have some negative thoughts about this book. But I really really liked the whole Caster idea and the plot, so I will give it a 3 star. It has its merits and flaws, but is a worthwhile read. I would recommend this to YA paranormal romance readers. I think they will enjoy the unique world-building of the paranormals in this book. Have fun reading! :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>What elements do you like to have in your romance stories? The whole Romeo-and-Juliet kind? The good-natured bickering? Steamy kissing scenes? What kind of powers would you want to have as a Caster? Do you like the book? I think this is a pretty thought-provoking book, there was bullying, there were arguments on fate, like, can you control it and how would face it if your fate is already written and you can't change no matter what, etc. Those were good things to think about, it made us understand life better. So, any other thought-provoking book that you want to recommend to me? I am always up for reading more books that keep me thinking! Leave a comment and discuss! :)</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-39842988667080798212012-10-30T05:48:00.001-07:002012-10-31T18:31:37.504-07:00Books? That's My Thing!: My Life on the Day of Halloween Hey there guys! Sorry I didn't post a review yesterday, I was planning on reviewing Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, but I couldn't finish the book on time. Yes, that's not a very good excuse, but have you seen the book? That thing has 563 pages! As of right now I am still willing myself to read the last 100 pages or so, it is kind of painful reading this book. Not that it was bad, it just seemed like it was endless, no matter how many limited free time I dumped into reading the book... *sigh* Anyway, this is not about the book, it about Halloween!<br />
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I told you guys this week's Books? That's My Thing will be dedicated to Halloween, but since Halloween wasn't really the biggest deal here in Hong Kong, I can't show you my old costumes because I almost never had any. So, I just decided (yes, I actually just came up with it when I was taking a bath :P) that I will document this my Halloween this year, which will probably make the most boring person on Earth after you've seen it, prepare, for the horror of boringness!<br />
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4:17 A.M: I just woke, and went to the bathroom. Don't know how I remembered it :P<br />
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4:45 A.M.: The time I set my alarm clock, but coincidentally it ran out of battery <i>today</i>, so I didn't wake<br />
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5:38 A.M.: Woke up, realize I wasn't woken by the alarm clock, thought I had overslept, checked the phone, and relaxed, it wasn't too late...<br />
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5:45 A.M.: Finished my breakfast: PB & Banana Sandwich<br />
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6:00 A.M. (rough time): start studying for Economics because I have a test on it today. I actually wrote the notes standing up, because I hate sitting down after I've eaten (I am weird, it's become kind of an understatement now)<br />
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6:35 A.M: Finish writing notes, and head on down to studying for Chinese, because I also have a test on it today. Metaphors, similes, personifications, etc. in poems... It's annoying having to memorize all that stuff :P (But our exams are more practical than just memorizing, which is why I hate studying for Chinese, you don't know what you are actually studying for because there's no way you can study how to analyze a passage, you need practice. And the memorizing stuff only takes up half or less marks in the paper, plus the questions are more difficult than just writing down what you've memorized. I am ranting... Again...)<br />
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7:15 A.M.: Thought I did a pretty good job memorizing stuff so took a break. Resumed reading Beautiful Creatures.<br />
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8:30 A.M: Checked, and found out there were new episodes of Phineas and Ferb and Austin & Ally.<br />
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10:10 A.M.: Finished watching new episodes of P&F, A&A, Shake It Up (I rewatched after I watched it, so it took more time. What? I couldn't resist!)<br />
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10:15 A.M.: Decided to study again, only I've nothing to memorize anymore, so started reading book blogs. There were many blog tours lately... Or is it just me?<br />
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11:07 A.M.: Started prepping to go to school for exams.<br />
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11:40 A.M.: Out the door I went.<br />
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12:02 P.M.: Boarded on a bus. Kept reading Beautiful Creatures on the a-little-more-than-an-hour bus ride.<br />
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01:20 P.M.: Got off the bus, waiting for another bus to take me to my school.<br />
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01:25 P.M.: Realized I am going to be late if I kept waiting for the bus, so I took a cab/taxi (Taxis are way more common here in HK, and the price is much lower than in NY, so don't freak out yet.)<br />
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01:35 P.M.: Arrived school. Met up with friends, started revising again.<br />
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01:45 P.M.: Piled up towards the Hall for exams.<br />
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2:00 P.M.: Exam started, pens started flying.<br />
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2:45 P.M. (yes, the exam is 45 mins long :P): Finished exam, went downstairs waiting for Chinese.<br />
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3:15 P.M.: Chinese exam started.<br />
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4:30 P.M.: Exam ended<br />
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5:00 P.M.: Walked to the bus stop with friends.<br />
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5:30 P.M.: Finally the bus came.<br />
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6:46 P.M.: The bus broke down, we were forced to wait for the next bus<br />
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6:50 P.M.: Luckily another bus came :P<br />
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7:06 P.M.: Finally home<br />
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7:58 P.M.: Finished dinner<br />
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8:03 P.M.: Went to a bath<br />
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8:20 P.M.: Started writing this post<br />
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8:45 P.M.: Would you look at that? The time caught up with us. So now I am gonna end this post :P<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Yes, very uneventful day, basically there was only exams in my day, and the broke down was a first. But other than that, nothing :P So, I am sure your Halloween is better than mine. Since we have time difference, you guys probably haven't had your Halloween day yet. But be sure to tell me all about the exciting things you did on the 31st! I am dying to know! ;) BTW<span style="font-size: large;">: I jus<span style="font-size: large;">t remembered someone told me 1D had a new single sometime a<span style="font-size: large;">round 12:39 P.M.,</span> whi<span style="font-size: large;">ch was a surprise for<span style="font-size: large;"> me<span style="font-size: large;">, not a one directioner,<span style="font-size: large;"> b<span style="font-size: large;">ut they are okay, and aside from Red, there's not much n<span style="font-size: large;">ew songs these few <span style="font-size: large;">weeks :P (Added by 8:53 P.M<span style="font-size: large;">. Allyson Rida)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></i></span> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-19424195483285280092012-10-28T04:49:00.000-07:002012-10-28T04:49:49.908-07:00Weekly Wrap-Up (2) Hey guys! Another week gone, any exciting things that you want to share with me? This week I started my first exam of the school year, I had tests on Biology and Mathematics Friday. I think I nailed Maths, it was pretty easy, but no so much in Biology. I think I messed up on the experiment questions, in my defense that set-up was completely ridiculous, how should I know what the hypothesis is? I am not even sure why the experiment exists! I still remember the questions, but I won't burden you guys with my rant on this ridiculous question, let's review what happened on the blog this week!<br />
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Monday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-girl-of-nightmares-by-kendare.html">Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake (Anna #2)</a> (I was listening to the new Taylor Swift album when I was reading this book, and I think the song Come Back... Be Here really speaks out Cas' feelings. I know the lyrics didn't exactly all match the setting, but the message about wanting the guy to come back from wherever really fits the setting of Cas wanting Anna to come back. So, the song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G00IftIfI2A">here</a>, tell me if you think another song would fit this book more! I am always up for some music ;) )<br />
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Tuesday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/books-thats-my-thing-traits-in.html">Books? That's My Thing!: Character Traits Part I</a> (In part I of this discussion on common character traits, we look at two very common types of main protagonists. I never thought the topic will stretch to three posts, but I guess I just have too much to say! Anyway, feel free to comment and discuss with me! Thinks I've got it all wrong? Tell me, I want to know what you think, that's the beauty of a discussion!)<br />
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Wednesday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-dead-and-beyond-by-jayde-scott.html">Review: Dead and Beyond by Jayde Scott (Ancient Legends #4)</a> (I really like this series and had high expectations for it, but this book really failed me. It wasn't bad, I just expect more since the last two books of the series was so good... My review on Book 2, Doomed <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-doomedbeelzebub-girl-by-jayde.html">here</a> and Book 3, Voodoo Kiss <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-voodoo-kiss-by-jayde-scott.html">here</a>)<br />
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Thursday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/books-thats-my-thing-traits-in_25.html">Books? That's My Thing!: Character Traits Part II</a> (In this post we talked about traits in villains and secondary characters, come and dicuss ;) )<br />
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Friday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/feature-follow-6.html">Feature & Follow (6)</a> (This week we talked about some writing style in a book that we dislike. I really hate switching POVs, especially when the book was written in third person.)<br />
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Saturday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/books-thats-my-thing-character-traits.html">Books? That's My Thing!: Character Traits Part III</a> (That's the last part of the discussion, where we talked about love interests! )<br />
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Sunday: <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-forever-and-beyond-by-jayde.html">Review: Forever and Beyond by Jayde Scott (Ancient Legends #5)</a> (Sorry this was two days late, hope you guys enjoy the review!)<br />
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<u><b>Giveaways:</b></u><br />
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<a href="http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.hk/2012/10/spooktacular-giveaway-hop-50-gone.html">The Spooktacular Giveaway!</a> (The blog list is at the end of the post linked) Um, how can I not blog about the biggest giveaway of the year so far? After all, more than 400 blogs are participating! Unfortunately, I am not one of the blogs :/<br />
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<a href="http://novelsounds.net/giveaway/blog-tour-drain-you-by-m-beth-bloom-giveaway/">Novel Sounds: Drain You Blog Tour Giveaway</a> (INT, 5 copies of <em>Drain You</em> signed, $50 credit at Wasteland (Quinn’s
favorite store), pages from Quinn’s notebook, 10 ‘Drain You’ bookmarks
handmade by Quinn, 10 90′s mixtapes curated and created by Quinn)<br />
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<a href="http://www.katiesbookblog.com/2012/10/giveaway-signed-through-to-you-arc.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+KatiesBookBlog+%28Katie%27s+Book+Blog%29">Katie' Book Blog: Signed Through to You ARC</a> (INT, A signed ARC copy of Through To You by Emily Hainsworth)<br />
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<a href="http://alifeboundbybooks.blogspot.hk/2012/10/haunted-halloween-2012-guest-post_18.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+ALifeBoundByBooks+%28A+Life+Bound+By+Books%29">A Life Bound By Books: Haunted Halloween 2012: Guest Post - Auracle author, Gina Rosati + A GIVEAWAY</a> (INT, A personalized, signed hardcover of Auracle, a swag bag with an
Auracle bookmark, magnet, button, silicone bracelet, sticker, and an
uber-fancy beaded bookmark.)<br />
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BTW, some of these giveaways end in two to three days, so hurry up and enter ;)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>And that's the end of this week's wrap-up post! I have to dive into Geography now, exams tomorrow. But, I would love the distraction and get to know about your week! So, comment below and tell me! ;)</b></i></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-37225767292002559012012-10-27T05:22:00.000-07:002012-10-28T01:38:48.939-07:00Review: Forever and Beyond by Jayde Scott (Ancient Legends #5)<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342648294l/15754453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342648294l/15754453.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> Forever and Beyond (Ancient Legend #5) </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Author:</b> Jayde Scott </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Mystery, Fantasy</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Publisher:</b> Scotland (self-published)</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeTextContainer1323330739129630221"> Hidden from mortal eyes and divided into three factions are the creatures of darkness that coexist with mortals.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText1323330739129630221">In the witches’ town
Morganefaire, an ancient legend tells the story of a mirror that was
once shattered into four fragments, each able to entrap a powerful soul.
</span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText1323330739129630221">Eighteen-year-old Amber
is a struggling necromancer on a mission: help vampire Aidan stop the
Prophecy of Morganefaire and protect the innocents from the inevitable
fate that will befall them should the wrong faction win. When bodies
begin to pile up, Amber realizes she has no choice than to work together
with the fashion-savvy yet irritating ghost of a young witch to solve
the mystery and protect the one she loves.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText1323330739129630221">In a world of forbidden
love, of ancient enemies and bonds spun by fate, nothing is as it seems
and no one can be trusted. Amber’s life will never be the same again
unless she finds out who the murderer is, and quick, before everything
she ever loved is taken from her forever…</span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
Find the book on: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15754453-forever-and-beyond">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Beyond-Ancient-Legends-ebook/dp/B009144P3Y/">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-and-beyond-jayde-scott/1112664347">Barnes & Noble</a></blockquote>
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Wow, a cliff-hanger, that's rare in this series! I know from the Feature & Follow post this week that many actually hated cliff-hangers, but I actually really liked them ;) I don't mind waiting, but if the book comes out 2 years later than the previous book, I <i>would</i> be really pissed. I guess it all depends on how the cliff-hanger was set up and how long 'til the next of the series was out. In Forever and Beyond's case, I love the cliff-hanger! Although, to be fair, Shadow Blood, the sixth in the series is already out, so I didn't really care about the cliff-hanger ending ;P<br />
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There is another thing that I love about this book, it's the mystery. This time, the book features a murder mystery instead of the whole secretive boyfriend thing, and I must say I love murder mysteries much <i>much</i> more! The mystery was set up pretty good, we have Amber, still our protagonist, arrived in <span id="freeText1323330739129630221">Morganefaire, an ancient witch/warlock town that no one knows existed and where it was located, and also immediately a dead girl turned up. The people wanted to blame it on Amber, since she was a new comer and a vampire (Aidan and Kieran had been there before), and Amber must solve the mystery about the murder before she was killed herself... As much as I love the whole mystery thing, I must say this book still didn't provide much in terms of answers to the mystery. Actually, it wasn't solved at all. There was a link somewhere between different events, but the book ended we can see how Amber links all things together. </span><br />
<span id="freeText1323330739129630221"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText1323330739129630221"> Another complain I have on this book is how bad it handled all the unsolved mystery from the last book. At the start of the book, we had Amber do a brief recap on the events that happened in the last few books, since that happens in a lot of series books, I don't really mind. What really annoyed me is that the unanswered questions were kind of just glossed over and were just briefly explained within one paragraph or so. It was like Scott wanted to just throw away all the remaining loose ends immediately so she can start new ones. I like a good ending to each and every plot lines, so this whole explained-within-a-sentence thing really pissed me off.</span><br />
<span id="freeText1323330739129630221"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText1323330739129630221"> Also, the love triangle from the last book was kind of just brushed off the second Amber knew who was haunting her in the last book. She blamed the whole showing-affection-to-Devon thing as the ghost's fault, which I totally disagreed. She was the one who called him when she needed someone to talk to, and all the moments they shared together didn't seem forced. Deep down I know Amber actually had a thing for Devon, but for whatever reason, it was brushed off in this book. It was really unfair to this still-blooming love triangle, not to mention it was totally unsatisfying. It was actually a continuation of the whole throwing-away-all-loose-ends thing that I commented above. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText1323330739129630221"><br /> In this book we were introduced to </span><span id="freeText1323330739129630221">Morganefaire, an ancient witch/warlock town which location was unknown. I liked the setting of </span><span id="freeText1323330739129630221">Morganefaire, it was kind of original, a paradise (or at least, a safe place) for witches and warlocks to live in, so they won't be threatened by mortals. Good thinking, which definitely added some brownie points for my rating on this books.</span><br />
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Sigh, still no Clare... I really want to read about Clare, it was mentioned that she lost her mate and I really wanted to know the story. Come on, Amber, give the mic to Clare already! Anyway, we did have some new characters in this book, the first one that I thought of is Julie, the ghost of the girl whose body was found shortly after Amber's arrival.</div>
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I don't really like Julie all that much. She had many mood-swings, which Amber attributed to being a ghost. But I still hated it, she was mean to Amber and only wanted her to solve the mystery of her death and she didn't ask nicely either. She seemed spoiled to me, and I don't do spoiled characters. She did kind of bonded a friendship with Amber later in the book though, despite how treated Amber at times. I thought it was kind of annoying that she pushed Amber around, like she was the boss of her. Like I said, spoiled. I did like the mystery surrounding her murder, but other than that, I like nothing to do with this character :P</div>
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This book was an acceptable addition to the Ancient Legends, and it definitely had its moments, but I really didn't think it was all that great, so I would give it a 3 stars. The book would be better suited for fans of the series, it was a good continuation on Amber's story. But if you're looking to butt into the series halfway, I don't suggest you to read this book first, as it was kind of a disappointment, at least to me, instead start with Doomed, the second book, which I gave a glowing five star review, I genuinely liked it! (Review <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-doomedbeelzebub-girl-by-jayde.html">here</a>)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rating: 3 stars!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>How do you like cliff-hangers? What about a perfect way to tie up loose ends? What do you think a witch town should look like? And the most important thing of all, do you like this book? Personally I think the cover has some major problem, what's with the misshaped photo? :P Comment below, I would love to discuss ;)</b></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-7467137787504657772012-10-27T04:10:00.001-07:002012-10-27T04:10:42.069-07:00Books? That's My Thing!: Character Traits Part III Okay, I swear this will the final post on character traits. So, this time, after our talk on <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/books-thats-my-thing-traits-in.html">main protagonists</a>, <a href="http://chillinwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/books-thats-my-thing-traits-in_25.html">villains and secondary characters</a>, we talk about the love interests!<br />
<br />
First let's list some common traits (we're talking in terms of guys since most YA books have female protagonists:<br />
<ol>
<li>Moody, mopey (the ones that I hate the most :/ )</li>
<li>Caring, kind-hearted</li>
<li>Over-protective (frankly, I have seen a lot of these kind of love interests</li>
<li>Sporty, jocks</li>
<li>Nerdy</li>
<li>Player</li>
<li>Funny</li>
</ol>
And that's about all I can think of. Like I said, my least favorite trait in a love interest in the moody type. Seriously, is it so hard to hide your frown when you're around people? I know you have a scarring past, <i>get over it</i>! Especially when you want a girl to fall in love with you, I am pretty sure most people would choose a guy that has a good humor and smiles a lot, rather than the one who stands in the background, watching, frowning, thinking, <i>whatever</i>. Of course, I know these are book characters so I have to leave some room for readers to enjoy the thought of falling in love with a mopey guy, so I'll just stop my rant right now.<br />
<br />
I think you mostly see player and funny being mushed together to create a male character. Personally, I don't think being funny always equals a player, but it kind of fits, girls love guys who is funny, at least I do, so naturally they would attract lots of girls. Whether he hook up with them or not, in the protagonist's eyes he would seem like a player. But I actually like these kind of love interests. I can count on them to make the story more fun, and like I said, I love funny guys! So if I am ever torn between a love triangle with the mopey and the joker, I would definitely choose the joker!<br />
<br />
Okay, here's a confession, I like nerdy love interests. They are the pariahs, the ones being teased at all the time, but I like them. I guess mostly because I love reading so I like a guy who is book-smart, don't know if you readers share my thoughts on this one ;P Unfortunately, I haven't seen a lot of these types of love interests, the most recent one I've read is Thomas from Anna series, he and Carmel are such a good match! The queen bee and the nerd, kind of ironic, yet the contrast really brings up my interests ;)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>And that concludes our character traits series post! What kind of love interests do you like to see in books? Do you absolutely love mopey characters? Or do you share my love for the more sunny type? What do think actually matters more to the story, a bunch of lovable characters, or an interesting plot? Tell me in the comments! ;)</i></b></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-35361349513150661632012-10-26T05:04:00.000-07:002012-10-26T05:04:28.766-07:00Feature & Follow (6)<a href="http://parajunkee.com/category/ff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> It's Friday! Time for another FF post! And this week's question is:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Q: What writing device or trick most irritates you when reading a book? For example, if an author employs an omnipotent narrator that is sometimes considered bad form.
</b></span></blockquote>
<br />
Well, I think various POVs in third person is really messy and confusing if not handled well.<br />
<br />
I hate switching POVs, I can't stress that enough, and I am sure I have mentioned it in several of my reviews. I like to keep reading about one to two characters' side of the story. I got accustomed to them, I should say, and I want to know more about the character as the story goes on, and how can I do that if the story constantly switch from one person to another. It's like trying to meet a hundred new people all at once and every one of them are eager to shake your hand. (of course I am not <i>that</i> popular in rea life :P) You get squished in the crowd and drown out by the noises. So, long story short, I hate books that feature more than 2 POVs. That's why I am hesitant to read The Diviners by Libba Bray even though everyone said she's a great author. I think I'll try the Gemma Doyle trilogy first ;)<br />
<br />
What about the third person part? Well, I simply must say I think a book would be more enjoyable written in first person POV. That's where the jokes come from, inside a character's head. I always find that the writing would be a bit uptight if it was in third person, and I want to read a book that has a great storyline but still manage to make me laugh sometimes. A good example would be Anna Dressed In Blood, it's supposedly a tragic love story but it still has an equal amount of humor and sadness. It was written in first person POV, which proved my point perfectly.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>So, what are your pet peeves on the writing style of a book? Do you have a totally different opinion than me? Like you like to meet more characters instead of less? Tell me in the comments ;)</b></i></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-46040220388017553142012-10-25T20:45:00.001-07:002012-10-26T06:57:51.899-07:00Books? That's My Thing!: Traits in Characters Part IISorry guys! I was a little late to post today. I got caught up in my revisions, I have my tests today (Maths and Biology, wish me luck!), I have an hour before I have to go out the door and meet my doom. Anyway, let's continue our discussion on character traits! :)<br />
<br />
Since last time we talked about traits in main protagonists, now let's talk about the villain and secondary characters! Of course, the villain might not always be physical, most contemporary books have abstract villains, or obstacles, to be more exact. But I usually read paranormal and such, there's usually a villain to keep the story going!<br />
<br />
There's actually not much of a prototype of villain, but I'll try listing all the ones I can think of:<br />
<ol>
<li>seeking revenge</li>
<li>out of jealousy (the Evil Queen from Snow White, anyone?)</li>
<li>wrecked world-view (usually through tragic past)</li>
<li>seeking power (you know, the whole I-want-to-control-the-world thing, I think those are the nuttiest kind of villains) </li>
<li>just plain evil (OK, that was a joke :P)</li>
</ol>
Personally, I like villains with a tragic past, it adds so much more emotion to the book, and I like back stories! It makes me understand the villain more and understand his/her motives. I mean, villains are emotional beings too! Sometimes I would just hate a villain so much but after a tragic back story I would start to grow sympathy for him/her.<br />
<br />
I also want to talk about the just-plain-evil one, I find that it actually happens in books, mostly in Middle Grade books. Middle Grade books are for smaller children, so the morals in the book are actually all black and white, the villains are just evil, meaning they really would do anything and have not much of a back story or reason to act evil. I love these kind of villains actually, they are ruthless, so the story can go really extreme, of course not pushing the limits of a MG book, watching the main characters fight back on such evil are really fun and always lightens my mood. (Actually, it's kind of weird of me :P) However, this case only apply to MG books, because if I find a villain like that in a YA book, I am sure I won't be giving it too high a rating. A YA book is aimed at teens, and the plain evil thing just won't work. The story would crumble like that. I mean, no back story? I am sure every reader of YA would be thinking how fake things are if there are no back story on the villain. Of course, I haven't stumbled upon such a book yet, they usually have some back story even if it's just a paragraph or two.<br />
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Since we have foe, we have to have friends too, which in most books, are actually secondary characters in a book.<br />
<br />
Traits in a secondary character:<br />
<ol>
<li>Loyal <u>OR</u> manipulative (there are back-stabbing friends in the world, as much as it hurts me to see that happen to a main character)</li>
<li>supportive <u>OR</u> over-protective (you know, that someone who always tries to talk the main character out of doing something stupid yet daring, and is important for the story to move on, I understand their motives of not wanting to lose their friends, but it gets kind of annoying when that happen, so I love a supportive friend who is as fierce as the main character and would fight with them side-by-side)</li>
<li>Mellow <u>OR</u> Bitchy (Mostly, the best friend of a main character is kind of bitchy, I haven't seen many mellow best friends)</li>
</ol>
And, that's about all I can think of. I love getting to know the secondary characters and my favorite character of a book are usually them. There are so many ways that a secondary character can be, but usually they are a friend of the main protagonists, which sometimes result in people calling them card-board cutout characters. Sadly, I must admit I have seen these types of secondary characters too. They lack back stories, and their presence in the book is actually just to fill the dialogue space and doesn't have much influence on the plot or the main protagonist's growth and decisions. I am sure a good author would make sure to have a back story of every character, even if the back story would never make it to the book.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>I have to go, exams are calling! (Again, please wish me luck!) But I think we need to have a part III for love interests. I will post it on Saturday! The Tuesday slot is reserved for... Halloween! I don't have much Halloween stories to share but I'll think of something ;)</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Anyway, as usual, I would love to discuss with you guys in the comments, so please leave a comment if you have something you want to say :) Some questions, what are your favorite types of villains? Examples? And what can you do to warrant a villain working against you? (I am sure all the protagonists have a good answer :D) And who is your all-time-favorite secondary character? Would you like to be friends with his/her in real life? Have<span style="font-size: large;"> a good <span style="font-size: large;">day!</span></span></b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-30072956848728169482012-10-24T05:16:00.001-07:002012-10-24T05:31:48.769-07:00Review: Dead and Beyond by Jayde Scott (Ancient Legends #4)<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342684518l/13497142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342684518l/13497142.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><b>Title:</b> Dead and Beyond (Ancient Legend #4) </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Author:</b> Jayde Scott </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Mystery, Fantasy</blockquote>
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<b>Publisher:</b> Scotland (self-published)</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<b>Synopsis/Summary:</b><span id="freeTextContainer14034561913709395936">Amber Reed is a dead girl walking.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText14034561913709395936">Having just been turned
by her gorgeous vampire boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Amber Reed is
bestowed with the ability to see ghosts. Between trying to figure out
how to control her bloodlust and solving the mysterious disappearance of
a friend, Amber realizes someone wants to step into her shoes so badly,
they’ll do anything to take her place.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText14034561913709395936">When one secret after
another pops up, the only person who believes her is her enemy, Devon.
Amber can’t figure out if he’s here to help or save his own immortal
race from losing the ancient war against the vampires. What she does
know, however, is that she can’t resist his good looks just as much as
she can’t help becoming someone else…</span><span id="freeText14034561913709395936"></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText14034561913709395936">In a world of
dark magic and ancient enemies, three powerful courts fight for
supremacy, and Amber might just be the pawn in winning this war forever.
But how’s a girl to survive when everyone wants her dead?</span><span id="freeTextContainer14034561913709395936"></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ffd7ee; border: 2px dotted #ff0090; padding: 10px;">
Find the book on: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13497142-dead-and-beyond">Goodreads</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Beyond-Ancient-Legends-ebook/dp/B007KMX1RK/">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dead-and-beyond-jayde-scott/1109802011">Barnes & Noble</a></blockquote>
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After my slight break from the series, I am reading on again. The fourth book in the Ancient Legends Series took us back to Amber, where she decided to plunge headfirst into a mystery that might threaten her life...<br />
<br />
I must say I am not very satisfied with the book. It's still interesting, but I felt like everything that just kept <i>happening</i>. There was no twist at all, and basically no climax, there were mysteries but that was about it. However, I did find that the pages seep by without my knowing, and then the book ended. It wasn't a cliffhanger, but I felt the book really lacked climax. There was a big plot there, and would be stretched to the next book, and it was actually interesting. But the problem was that the reveal came too late, most, and when I say most I meant about 90%, of the book was spent spinning the mysteries for this plot, and that was it, no answers, and the book just ended. There was a vague paragraph about our protagonist processing what really happened and connected the dots, but she didn't elaborate and I didn't really want to think about it. Basically that means the book paved way for an interesting and exciting storyline but things stretched on for too long, and the whole book actually just felt like half the book, with all questions and no answers. That said, there were a few elements that I enjoyed in this book.<br />
<br />
First, I liked the love triangle. I know most of you groaned just reading or seeing that word, but the love triangle in this book was actually quite good. I mean, both sides were nice and I couldn't decide which team I'm in, like what happened when I read The Nine Lives of Chloe King Trilogy (review here!). In my opinion, that was a successful love triangle. I mean, what was the point of a love triangle if everyone knew from the start who the protagonist would end up with anyway? But of course, the love triangle in this book wasn't one sided, and I liked it :)<br />
<br />
Second, I love how smooth the plot went. Granted, there was only one POV(Amber) this time around, so there wouldn't be situations where readers confused from the switch of POVs and decided to take a break from the book (I did that!). The plot really kept moving and I just kept reading. But like I said from the beginning, the book lacked tension, drama and climax, even if it was able to lure me in and kept me reading, I wasn't really gushing about it. So actually this part was fifty-fifty. I liked that the plot went on without bumps, but I hated that there were no climax at all.<br />
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It seemed that there were more paranormal creatures getting thrown into the mix this time. We had a werewolf, and a new demigod. These two characters didn't appear very often or hadn't appear until the very end of the book, so I really couldn't judge their powers and whether they made sense or not...<br />
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The story was set back to Scotland in Aidan's mansion again. And the infamous shed made an appearance too. What I didn't understand was where did all the people go. The last time I checked, Henry and the house-keeper (the former one, I can't remember her name) should still be living in the garden shed, working for Aidan and Claire were still living in the house. But this time neither of them showed up which left a really big plot hole here. And I must admit I was upset because I was really looking forward to read about Claire's story, and now she didn't have an appearance at all, just some name-drop and it was like she moved to another planet or something. No one talked about her, which definitely didn't make sense.<br />
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So, like I said, Amber was back for this book, and so was Aidan and some other characters that took a back seat during the whole Cass-losing-her-soul-mate debacle. (They did appear in that 2 book, and played a part too, but not an important one.) There was really no way to talk about the new characters because first of all, their parts were really small in this book, like a random name-drop here and the story just went on and second, there was really no way to introduce them without spoiling. So I will just talk about Devon, the guy that seemed interested in Amber in the first book, and was a recurring character in book 2 and 3.<br />
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Devon was kind of like a two-sided guy. He could be really cold, like, no expression from his face or voice at all, or he could be quite cute, when he was flirting with Amber. I found that I have fallen in love with this character because his conversations with Amber were so funny, I didn't really have a LMHO moment, but it was good humored and I could feel that their flirting came rather natural, which spiked a hope in me despite Aidan being her bonded mate. I wouldn't tell you how that went but I think you will like Devon a lot more after you read this book ;)<br />
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Blogger just started acting wonky when I finished the character part so I will be blunt and end this review. I have no desire to fight with blogger about the htmls in my blog.<br />
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I would give this book 3 stars. It was a pretty good read if you were already a fan of the series and love Amber right from the start, but I am pretty sure just this book along won't be able to attract many readers to keep on reading. Because, let's face it, this book lacked the climax that I so needed in my stories. Since it failed to impress me but still managed to keep me interested throughout the whole book, I would give it an average 3 stars. I would recommend this to readers of light YA paranormal, as in the storyline won't too heavy, good for readers that didn't like reading a book that got all depressed and grim and stuff. Happy reading!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ratings: 3 stars!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>It was quite a light paranormal read I just had there, though it lacked some much needed tension to create a climax. So, tell me, what book you have read that had the most awesome climax? What do you think was needed to create a proper climax? And finally, the question that matters the most, what do you think of the book, or the series in general? Do you agree with me that this one was kind of a downer with the book 2 and 3 being so awesome? (Okay, technically, that was more than one question, but it's always good to have options ;) )</b></i></span><br />
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BTW: Anyone who uses blogger suffered the same formatting problem as me? You know, things shifting when you point your wicked little mouse at it? I must say, I am really annoyed. And that problem had been going on for weeks!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139579137127300087.post-47751687817463528832012-10-23T02:07:00.001-07:002012-10-23T02:37:35.513-07:00Books? That's My Thing!: Traits in Characters: Part I So, last week we talked about YA paranormal (the post here!), and after wrecking my brain for something to write about, I thought of it, character traits.<br />
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What I do mean by that? Well, after reading YA for a few years now, I have found that there were some very common traits among the characters, so this week, I want to deduce them out and discuss! I actually have no problem with similar traits in characters, 'cause what matters is how the character <i>develops</i>, and not how they <i>started out</i>. Of course, I do get a little annoyed at the similar types of love interests, they are either mopey or sunny. And usually the mopey guy wins in the dreaded love triangle... What's up with that? Anyway, I've decided to split this discussion into 2 parts, since I found that after writing about different types of main protagonists, the post is already long. So to keep you interested, and since I have to do revisions for exams this Friday, I the first part today, which is what you are reading now, and the second part on Thursday, I feel weird talking a break on a weekday anyway, and I have so much that I want to share with about this one. So, let's dive in and discuss characters, shall we? ;)<br />
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I think there are actually 2 types of main protagonists, first, the shy kind. You know, those female characters that think of themselves as plain, fat, too tall, too short, too thin or whatsoever while other characters surrounding her thinks she's oh-so-attractive. You may think I am a little too sarcastic here, but bottom line is, I usually find these kind of protagonist quite annoying. You know, 'cause their monologues are usually along the lines of, "I stared at myself, my face is too round and my cheeks too pale, yada, yada, yada." I really don't understand why they had to criticize themselves like that. Everyone is different, and they all have a different opinion on beauty, so why torture yourself by thinking you are not pretty/smart/charming/whatever good traits you think you don't have by placing yourself in your own biased judgment. Seriously, I think no matter how hard you try, your judgment will always be biased. Sometimes maybe more people will agree to your judgment, sometimes they don't. But the important thing is, there's no certainty in <i>judgments</i>. So, I think that these kind of characters need to stop hypnotizing themselves with petty comments on themselves, instead talk about something else in their monologue. Talk about the weather, I don't care, just don't tell me they think of themselves as plain, fat and stuff, 'cause I am sure the readers all think otherwise. Luckily, these types of main protagonists usually grow more confident throughout the book, and with every barrier that they managed to burst through, the more I like them.<br />
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The other common type is the more feisty kind. They are born fighters, they don't take anything from anyone and are usually brave, yet stubborn. I think these kind of main protagonists appears more in paranormal books. I like them, they are strong and they give the story so much more... purpose, if it must be described. Since these kinds of characters always seem very determined to do something, or their inquiring minds just couldn't stand the thought of something happening that people surrounding them are hiding, these kind of characters like to get to the bottom of things, no matter the trouble they have to go through to get there, and the whole plot of the story always seems clearer with these characters. We know from the traits that he/she won't back down until things are all in the clear , so we have a clear idea of where the plot will be heading. A good example of these types of characters: Cassandra from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/63614-secret">the Secret series</a> (I am not sure how many people have read this one, but the series is very good or should I say, very secretive ;) MG and YA readers will enjoy it!)<br />
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However, mostly the main protagonists of YA books are actually the two types that were mentioned combine together. We throw the two together and we get a protagonist that doesn't think highly of his/her-self, but is sure capable to kick someone's ass when the need arise. There many examples this kind of characters, like Daisy Giordano from the Dead is series, Cammie from the Gallagher Girls series, Tris from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/57530-divergent">the Divergent Trilogy</a>, etc. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>That's the end of part one of this topic! So, what do you think of my opinion of separating main protagonists into 3 types? Should there be more? Is it a bad classification? 'Cause I totally understand if you disagree, that's the point of discussing! We need voices with other perspectives! If you agree, which type do you like the most? Comment below and let's discuss! ;)</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oh, I have something to <span style="font-size: small;">tell you guys concer<span style="font-size: small;">nin<span style="font-size: small;">g this meme, I<span style="font-size: small;">'ve decided to create a banner for it! I think it would be up sometime on November, I want to think about the de<span style="font-size: small;">sign more, and use more <span style="font-size: small;">time to draw it<span style="font-size: small;">. <span style="font-size: small;">And when the banner's out<span style="font-size: small;">, I think I might make a Linky list of this meme, of cou<span style="font-size: small;">rse, I still have the worry that no on<span style="font-size: small;">e would join, 'cause thinking up of a to<span style="font-size: small;">pic actually takes a lot out of me too, maybe we will do unified topics<span style="font-size: small;">, but that is if someone really want<span style="font-size: small;"> to do the meme too ;)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17108770251717139870noreply@blogger.com0