Review! | Cold Burn Of Magic (Black Blade #1)

Overall Rating:

★★★★★

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Book Details: 

Author: Jennifer Estep

First Publication: Published April 28th 2015

Pages: 323 pages

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Synopsis:

There Be Monsters Here. . .

It’s not as great as you’d think, living in a tourist town that’s known as “the most magical place in America.” Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

I try to keep out of it. I’ve got my mom’s bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend’s pawn shop, and I have to make a call–get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn’t. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I’m stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I’m going to end up just like her. . .–Goodreads

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Review:

Note: I’ve read this book about a month ago, so my memory’s not so fresh. I’ll try to do my best, though.

Good writting. Intriguing main character. Likeable supporting cast. Fast pace.Throw in a bit of swordplay and a bit of mystery and you have the makings of an exceptional novel. I remember it was sometimes a little predictable. Not so much for plot twists.

So why is this book on my favourites shelf? The main character, Lila! She’s tough, independent and feisty with a bit of a soft spot. She accidentally gets in the middle of a mob feud. Her mother was killed because of the Families and Lila has been trying to avoid them since. But it seems she have no choice but to get entangled in their issues. After she saves the heir of a magical family, she is forced to work as his bodyguard.

I was a little disappointed that she and Devon (the heir) didn’t get together *ship failure*. The will be so cute together -in a tough way, mind you.

All in all, COLD BURN OF MAGIC is definitely a fun read. And while I’m hoping for certain things to happen, I’m also looking forward to the ride that Estep will take us on in Dark Heart of Magic, the second installment in the Black Blade series. I’ve already got the ebook!

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Have you read this book yet? Did you like it? If not, are you going to? Do tell in the comments below! And keep reading!

Review! | The Year I Became Isabella Anders (Sunnyvale #1)

Overall Rating:

★★★★

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Book Details: 

Author: Jessica Sorenson

First Publication: September 2nd 2015 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Pages: 246 pages

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Synopsis:

Isabella Anders has always been the girl that never fit in. Most days she feels invisible, especially when she’s around her older sister, Hannah, who catches the eye of everyone, including Kai and Kyler, the boys who live next door.

Isabella has had a crush on Kyler for years, but knows he’ll never see her as anything more than Hannah’s little sister, unless she finds a way to standout.

When Isabella gets an offer from her grandmother to travel overseas for the summer, she seizes the opportunity, hoping she’ll discover more about herself. And she does, but not in the way that she expected.

Three months later, Isabella returns home an entirely new person. The change is enough to catch both Kyler and Kai’s attention. But Isabella is still struggling with what she discovered over the summer and until she deals with the truth, she’ll never truly be herself. –Goodreads

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 Review:

I’ve always heard a lot about this author and finally got to read something by her. And I wasn’t disappointed!

The main character, Isabella, who is a down-and-out quirky girl gets a make over and comes back home with a new level of confidence. Her journey from baggy clothes and reading mangas to tube dresses and clubbing is no easy one. It takes a trip with her grandma around Europe and a wonderful cousin to get her out of her comfort zone.

But this isn’t everything! She discovers a truth that will permanently change her life forever. Will she be able to find the rest of the truth?

Aaaaaand, dear gentleman and ladies, here’s our cliffhanger of the year. Make sure to buy volume 2 before you finish this book! Believe me you won’t be able to wait.

This book is super cute and I would recommend it to anybody who can read English.

 

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Have you read this book yet? Did you like it? If not, are you going to? Do tell in the comments below! And keep reading!

Review! | The Girl On The Train

Overall Rating:

★★★

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Book Details: 

Author: Paula Hawkins

First Publication: January 13th 2015 by Riverhead Books

Pages: 323 pages

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Synopsis:

The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people’s lives.

EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good? –Goodreads

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Review:

After all the hype this book got, I have to say I was really excited to read this book. However, when I started reading it last year it bore the hell out of me and I thought maybe I’d leave it for a while and then give it another try later. I have to say it wasn’t worth it.

First off, the title. How is a 30-something YEARS OLD WOMAN considered a “girl”?!  I honestly thought the book would talk about a young adult 20 years old or on the very max 25. But not a divorced alcoholic. “The Woman On The Train” would’ve been a less beguiling but much more suitable title.

No one can deny Hawkins’ beautiful style of writing. The woman can write. Honestly. And I liked the multiple points of view (Rachel-the girl on the train, Anna-Rachel’s ex-husband’s wife and Megan-the girl who goes missing). She did well with the unreliable narrator thing. And beware, guys. This book has some real dangerous plot twists. I mean it.

So why didn’t this book ring a chord with me? I think it’s the characters. Three messed up women and two abusive men. None of the characters was relatable or even likeable enough for me to root for them. Maybe Hawkins has gone too far with messing up their lives.

I would recommend this book to a mystery/thriller/crime/unreliable characters lover, but not if this kind of book isn’t your usual. In the end, you are the judge. Go on and give it a try. I know some friends who gave this book 5 stars and put it on their favourites shelf!

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Movie:

Again, I haven’t watched the movie, but I saw the trailer and some clips for the sake of the review. Watch the trailer from here. I was shocked by the cast, actually. Supposedly, Tom and Scott are both handsome and Rachel is fat-sorry, it’s what in the book- and Anna is very beautiful. That’s different in the movies. There aren’t major differences in the plot, though. I think… again, think the movie in this case might be better than the book. I personally prefer crimes and thrillers as movies.

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Have you read this book yet? Did you like it? If not, are you going to? Do tell in the comments below! And keep reading!

Review | Before I Go To Sleep

Overall Rating:

★★★★★

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Book Details: 

Author: S.J. Watson

Publication: June 14th 2011 by HarperCollins Publishers

Pages: 359 pages

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Synopsis:

As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I’m still a child, thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me…

Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love–all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine’s life. –Goodreads

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Review:

Dubious. Mistrustful. Suspicious. Wary.  Paranoid. Through some words on paper, Watson has managed to make me feel all those emotions. All at the same time. This was no light read. As “cliche” as this might sound, but this book was a real roller coaster. Once you start believing some character’s innocence or guiltiness, a plot twist comes and makes you think twice before assuming anything again. This book would leave you full of questions. Some about the people around you. Most about yourself. “Who are you?”. “How does your memories of the past affect your life now?”. “Are you sure all those memories are real?!!”.

Well, that’s enough because another word about this book and I’ll start spoiling it for you. And I wouldn’t be stopping for long.

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Movie:

I haven’t watched the movie, but I saw the trailer now (just a part because it has LOTS of adult scenes, you know). You can watch it here.  The actors look good though.  I don’t know any of them but I don’t know any actors, anyway- just Will Smith & Di Caprio. Ah, and there’s a major difference, I noticed. In the book she WRITES a journal. In the movie someone came up with the brilliant idea of changing this and making her videotape a visual journal! God knows why they can’t just stick to book. It physically hurts them, I guess.

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Have you read this book yet? Did you like it? If not, are you going to? Do tell in the comments below! And keep reading!

Review! | Tommy Hopps and the Aztecs

 

OVERALL RATING: ★★★★☆

Name: Tommy Hopps and the Aztecs: (A Time Travel Adventure)  (310 pages)

Author: Vic Connor

Genre & Targeted Audience: Science Fiction, Time Travel (Middle Grade)

Pub Date & Publisher: 27 Dec 2016, Helvetic House

Source: Thanks to Netgally & Helvetic House, I was able to download this free ebook from Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Well, more of a mini-review, actually. I have finished this book for a week now and just had time to write a review. My exams are next week and I’m entering this panic level where I have to finish a semester’s worth of studying in two days. Anyway, here’s the goodreads synopsis then I’ll proceed to say what appealed to me in this book and what didn’t.

“When he takes a family vacation to Mexico City, Tommy Hopps is just a normal, fourteen-year-old kid — but that’s all about to change.

Sleeping soundly in his family’s hotel room, Tommy is awoken by a ghostly presence: a threadbare pirate. When the unusual intruder attacks his parents, Tommy fights back … and gets transported to the Aztec Empire in the year 1521.

He finds himself all alone in a strange world. Bizarrely, a few Aztecs seem to recognize him — as someone else. Pursued by warriors, strange creatures, and a mysterious woman who claims to be his wife, Tommy must rely on himself to survive while searching for a way to return to the present.

Can he return to his own time to save his parents? Why was he taken back in time to witness an ancient civilization soon to be destroyed? And could there be more to his identity than he himself knows?” -Goodreads Synopsis

First of all, this book was just AMAZING. When I first read the title of the book I didn’t know what or who in hell were the Aztecs (though I understood they must be some ancient people)  and now I know what did they eat for lunch and can easily maneuver through their city. The descriptions are so vivid you can’t help but imagine every scene in this book before continuing on.

I struggled the least bit to keep my attention on the book, though I can blame on the exams. No book has ever took me a whole week to finish it. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix took me three days to complete.

Other than that, I think I would recommend this book to any middle-grade reader who enjoyed Percy Jackson. Sorry, I couldn’t review this book properly, but I’m sure you understand what a procrastinator’s life looks like just before exams.

Keep reading!

 

 

 

Review! | Under Different Stars (Kricket #1)

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Book Details:

Name: Under Different Stars

Series: Kricket (book 1)

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy, YA, Romance, Science Fiction

Pages: 297 (may differ from edition to another)

(Review!) If I Stay (If I Stay #1)

OVERALL RATING: ★★☆☆☆

 

Book Details:

Author: Gayle Forman

Series: If I Stay (book 1)

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy, YA, Romance, Contemporary

Pages: 297 (may differ from edition to another)

Mia is a seventeen-year old girl who has the perfect life any teen would wish for- outgoing, understanding and simply “cool” parents, a loyal BFF, a BF who loves her more than anything and an exceptional talent with her cello. Life couldn’t get any better, can it? Well, yes, in her case it does. Mia is on her way to Julliard and if she gets accepted, she is going to have to make some really tough choices about her future with Adam.

That’s before her life changes forever…

Review! | Harry Potter & The Cursed Child – Book 8

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

Author:J.K. Rowling & John Tiffany & Jack Thorne

Series: Harry Potter (book 8)

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Drama

Pages: 340 (special rehearsal script edition)

2 years after book 7 (Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows), in 2011, when J.K. Rowling was asked about the possibility of an eighth book that was her response:

“Well, I keep saying that I feel I wrapped Harry’s story up. And you gotta know when to…”