Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise, #1)

Deeper We Fall by Chelsea M. Cameron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart.

Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again.

Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie's face. 

Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves "To Kill a Mockingbird" as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can't help but listen. 

The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie's discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness, or deeper heartache.



**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**


"Someday things might fall into place and you'll realize it was supposed to happen"


Sometimes bad things happens and all we can see are the negative effect it brings, but with bad comes good..we just need to look closer..there are lessons we only learn when we are in a bad situation.

I struggled reading the first half of the book because it's full of angst and drama, it revolves around Lottie's hate for both Zack and Zan, Will and Simon being supportive brother and friend. I can't bring myself to like Lottie during the first half because I feel that she's being mean with Zan, Yes.. it is irresponsible of Zan to get into the car drunk (People..Please do not drink then drive!!) ..but lets not forget that it's Lexie's decision to stay with Zack..leading to Zan drunk driving them..so what I am trying to say is that ..it was an accident (I bet I would say differently if it happens to my friend ). I totally get why she's being like that.. but I can't help myself wanting to scream at her to move on (easier said than done..why am I contradicting myself..><)

Why Lottie irritates me during the first half:

Lottie to Zan :"Why am I even talking to you? I hate you"

Lottie to Zan : "You don't talk to much"

Well duh, I won't be talking much too if you treat me like that.

Contrary to me not liking Lottie..I do like Zan..really, really like him. He's been through a lot of things and I keep on wishing that he'll eventually find happiness in the end, I badly wanted to be a book character then I'll befriend him..and yeah eventually falls for him..no more Lottie and Zan..it'll be me and Zan forever...lol. I think I just sounded creepier than usual.

The good thing is I find myself liking Lottie around 60% of the book and thankfully till the end, I loved that everything turns out to be okay for both Lottie and Zan in the end plus they got wonderful friends that cares for them.



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Monday, May 27, 2013

Book Review: The Second Sign by Elizabeth Arroyo

The Second Sign
The Second Sign by Elizabeth Arroyo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Summary:

Bred to believe in the war between angels and demons, Gabby has come to the conclusion that love is responsible for war, jealousy, and all the other deadly sins she can think of. So when she’s exiled to the middle of nowhere for getting kicked out of her fifth school for fighting, she doesn't expect to meet Jake. Much less fall in love. But Jake is quickly drawn to the eerie beauty of her violet eyes while Gabby is unsettled by their undeniable connection.

When a demon guardian comes to collect her soul, she refuses to give it up. She’s not a demon. She can’t be. Her father and twin brother are angels. The demon gives Gabby twenty-four hours to decide her allegiance, and then starts killing her short list of friends, leaving a message behind: She is the Second Sign.

As Gabby and Jake begin to unravel the mystery behind the Second Sign, she learns Jake may be the key to saving her soul. But it means a sacrifice has to be made that will change their lives forever.


***I received a free copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.


The Second Sign is a dark and mysterious paranormal book. I loved loved the dark and bloody details, it makes the story creepier and effective..I'm kind of used to reading the dark parts in other horror/mystery books but not actually feeling it..in The Second Sign, I can't help but imagine them vividly.

I was edgy while reading this, I think I'm as paranoid as Gabby..I'm kind of suspicious to almost every characters in the story even to Max, Gabby's brother..and at times I'm even scared to continue reading because a lot of creepy and strange things keeps on happening or appearing.

This book is about Angels and Demons...and other creepy creatures lol, it's intriguing and confusing at times...I have lots of whats and whys.. that I think and hopefully will be answered in the next book. I was devastated with what happens towards the end, the decision Gabby made is hard but she was given no choice and it broke my heart, but with what happens comes a "gift" and I'm excited on how that gift will play part on the next book.

I enjoyed reading The Second Sign and I'm excited for the second book, hopefully..it will be darker than the first.

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Otherborn by Anna Silver

Otherborn (Otherborn, #1)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cover: 5 of 5

Book Summary:

London and her teenage friends live in a reprocessed world.

Confined within Capital City’s concrete walls, London has done the impossible and the illegal. She’s created something New- a song. But her mentor, club owner Pauly, is not impressed. Since the historic Energy Crisis forced everyone behind walls generations ago, the Tycoons have ensured there is truly nothing new allowed under the sun. Pauly warns London to keep her song to herself, if she knows what’s good for her.

What he doesn’t know is that London is keeping an even bigger secret: she dreams. And she’s not alone. London’s band-mates and friends have begun dreaming as well, seeing themselves in “night pictures” as beings from another world. As Otherborn, they must piece together the story of their astral avatars, the Others, in order to save their world from a dreamless, hopeless future.

When Pauly is murdered and an Otherborn goes missing, London realizes someone is hunting them down. Escaping along the Outroads, they brave the deserted Houselands with only their dreams to guide them. Can they find their friend before the assassin finds them? Will being Otherborn save their lives, or destroy them?



*****I received a free copy in exchange of my honest review.

Otherborn series is my newest favorite dystopian series!yay!

Honestly I did have a hard time reading this book at first but after a couple of chapter, I can say that I was hooked!

This is definitely a dystopian with a twist..even though it does have the familiar elements we all find in other dystopian series, it manages to be unique and exciting. The story keeps on getting better as the story progresses, surprise after surprise...you won't really know what will happens next.

London, the main character in the story is a streetwise girl that appears to be strong outside but vulnerable inside, it's not hard to connect with her..with her wanting to appear strong in front of her friends, giving them hope and guidance..I find myself liking her and hating Tori when she appears to be a competition.. back-off girl! lol. Rye, London's I'm-not-so-sure-boyfriend is a very likable guy because he seems to be really protective of London, I love how he protects London in anyway he can and hopefully..we'll see more of London and Rye's moments in the next book.

Otherborn is an awesome dystopian book and I'm so ready to read the next one. I'm so excited about the "Others", there is so much we need to know about them and how and when they will help London and friends.

I want to give this 5 awesome stars but since they way it ended kills me..I'm only giving it 4.9.

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Tuesday, May 14, 2013


Runes

Runes by Ednah Walters

My rating:
Story: 5 awesome stars
Cover: 2/5

Goodreads Summary:


Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.


***Received a free copy via netgalley.

I've been busy reading lots of new adult and adult genre books for the past few months, I forgot how refreshing and fun it is to read a Y.A book. I immensely enjoyed reading Runes, it brings out the girly girl in me lol. The moment Raine met Torin *swoon, I knew that I'm going to absolutely add Torin to my book boyfriends list, gawd I don't even care about Eirik lol, team Torin all the way..if and if there is even a competition.

Torin was the new guy next door, and oh! what a guy-next-door he is, I am totally wishing I am Raine..so yeah, the new guy next door story is not really original but the author manage to make it awesome. I was constanly excited while reading Runes, Torin and the weird trio were all mysterious, there is so much to discover about the Runes and Raine's birth but more than that I keep on looking forward for Torin and Raine's moment(and damn, those moments are pretty hot).

I was surprise about how the book ended, it was totally unexpected.. even the answers about Torin's Identity is not what I expected. And now I'm dying to know what happens next..gahh I am so ready for the next book!

I loved loved this book and it kills me to know that it will be a pretty long wait for the next book in the series, but I know that it'll be worth the wait.

I think the Lux series and daemon fans will love this book.

Arouse by Nina Lane

Arouse (Spiral of Bliss, #1)
Arouse by Nina Lane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Book Summary:

"One day I'm going to touch you in a thousand different ways and show you how to touch me," he said. 

And he did.

Struggling with a tormented past, undergraduate Olivia Winter once led a practical but isolated life. Then she met Professor Dean West, a brilliant scholar of medieval history who melted Liv's inhibitions and taught her the meaning of both love and erotic pleasure. But after three years of a blissful, lusty marriage, Liv and Dean now face a crisis that threatens everything they believe about each other...and sex might not be enough to save them.




My Thoughts:

When I saw Arouse being added by some of my goodreads friends, I decided to check it out, mostly because the title is intriguing, one will certainly think that it will be one HOT read. Arouse is definitely one hot read, but more ..you see there are lots of erotic reads that contains a lot of hot scenes but remove those scourching hot scenes and it's nothing. Arouse, more than being an erotic book is a book that teaches lessons about marriage and how and what will it takes to make it work. I found myself trying to absorb those lessons.. being 23 and single, it's kind of hard for me to think about marriage right now, but I think what the couple in this book experience and learned will stay with me and hopefully when the time comes, I can apply those to my own.



I think this is the first book I've read starting with a couple which is already married, so I'm not really sure what to expect but I'm glad, so glad I gave it a chance because after reading this I know for sure that it's going to be in my favorites book list. The story, the character ,their problems, and the people around them felt real..I find myself feeling easily connected with the main characters, especially with Liv.

My favorite line in the book is "I’ll slay monsters for you.”, you'll understand why when you read the book yourself. So what I'm trying to say is I loved and enjoyed this book and I'm definitely going to recommend this to all the romance-loving-readers out there. I'm giving this 4.8 stars. I'm so excited for the next book in this series which is Allure, whoch according to goodreads..will be coming out..TODAY! hooray for that.

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Friday, May 10, 2013


Sworn to Raise (Courtlight #1)Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Summary:


Seventeen-year-old Ciardis has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of the kingdom. But beneath her kingdom’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations.

Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron. 

But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.

***I requested and received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.

I'm always fascinated with stories about "companions", like Memoirs of a Geisha or stories about Kisaeng (korean geisha) because back in the days, those companions are not just companions, they are bunch of talented ladies who spend a lot of time mastering the art of entertaining, they are known for their exceptional skills in dancing, acting, playing various instruments and more. If the a certain companion manage to become a high ranking and most coveted companion, they become powerful in the sense that they can influence their "patrons" and most of that patrons are actually the most powerful men in their country.

Sworn to Raise tells the story of Ciardis, a girl who grow up in poverty but was given the chance to become a companion, if she'll manage to prove her worth. But being a companion is not just learning how to dance and recite poetry, in their world i'ts more..it's about possessing a different type of skill which is magic.



Ciardis is a character that is not hard to like and understand, she's not some soft kind of heroine, contrary to that..although naive she's streetwise and thank goodness far from being an annoying-dramatic-type-of-heroine, instead of complaining when facing hard situation she takes action.

In a way Sworn to Raise reminds me of one of my favorite fantasy series which is the Study series, hopefully Ciadris will became stronger just like Yelena.

All in all I can say that I absolutely enjoy reading Sworn to Raise, I love the world building and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the Series.

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Thursday, May 9, 2013

Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle

Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle 


 

 
 
 


My Rating: 8 out 5 Freaking-Creepy Stars.


***I'll be doing a review of Book 1 to 6 in one post, but I'll try to avoid including major spoilers.

Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror, #1)
Red Fox (Experiment in Terror, #2)
The Benson (Experiment in Terror, #2.5)
Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror, #3)
Lying Season (Experiment in Terror, #4)
On Demon Wings (Experiment in Terror, #5)
Old Blood (Experiment in Terror, #5.5)
The Dex-Files (Experiment in Terror, #5.7) 
Into the Hollow (Experiment in Terror, #6) 
And With Madness Comes the Light (Experiment in Terror, #6.5)


I just finish reading book one to six excluding 5.7 and 6.5, I'm not planning to read those two anytime soon( but knowing me I might change my mind and read those two over the weekend). I badly wanted to start reading a new book without horror or suspense theme in it since reading this series made me all kinds of paranoid lol. I wasn't even planning to read this series yet, but I keep on seeing Darkhouse on my goodreads update wall, and upon checking I saw high ratings and decided to read the first book, and the second, and the third until I find myself reading "Into the Hollow" which is the last main book available of the series( Book seven will be out next month..I think)..yeah, so much of me planning to read just the first book, who am I kidding? So here's the not-so-summary of "Darkhouse" from the Goodreads:


With all the vampire, werewolf and faerie books out there, it's easy to become numb to all things supernatural. The antidote? Darkhouse introduces two real and unforgettable characters, Perry Palomino & Dex Foray, amateur ghost hunters who are "attractive, relatable and oddly heroic," "flawed but loveable," "slightly crazy" and just the most endearing pair to ever tackle the paranormal...just don't call them normal.

Darkhouse is a thrilling and sexy new take on concepts like Supernatural and The X-Files, bringing a breath of fresh air to a genre that has been inundated with the dead.***Darkhouse and the Experiment in Terror series is a horror/romance for mature audiences only. Readers who are easily offended by harsh language should think twice about reading it.***


My Thoughts:


When I finish reading the first book or Darkhouse, I thought that it's not really scary contrary to the reviews I've read, or  maybe unconsciously I did not let myself really get into it for me not to be scared. But as I read book after book, the story keeps on getting better and scarier. I  did not realize how affected I was till I decided to take a short break and get some coffee... so when I was in the kitchen making some coffee, I didn't realize my mom is already awake so when she suddenly spoke to me, I freaked-out and let a not so small scream lol. That's the thing with scary books, you'll never know how effective it is until you finish reading it, let it all sink in and then you'll suddenly remember all the scary parts. Just like watching horror movies, while watching you'll scream and all but that's just it.. not until you decided to sleep, then you'll remember the movie and that's when you get really paranoid and scared..


Every book in the series was scarier than the last but when I started reading book 3 which is
Dead Sky Morning, I definitely reach a different kind of scared and paranoid, it doesn't really help that I sleep in the morning and read at night, Perry and Dex visits a tiny, fog-shrouded island and let's not forget... isolated during that time. The Island history itself is enough to make all the hair on the back of my neck stand. The Island in the present was converted into some sort of a park, people go camp in the day but only a few dare to spend their nights in the island. Given a chance, I'll will definitely not spend even 30 minutes of my life in an island where back in the day.. it was an island full of leper, that was left to rot, die and bury each other *shudder. Lots of creepy and scary-I-might-just-pee-my-pants-moments happens in Dead Sky Morning..earning a 6/5 creepy stars.


Lying Season, the forth book in the series... even-though not as intense as Dead Sky Morning when it comes to scaring the crap out of me, includes lots of scary moments but this book focuses more into Perry and Dex, their situation, feelings and etc. A lot of things happens here that will lead the next book, On Demon Wings to become what it is..Scarier than all the past book combined.



On Demon Wings (5th book), I can't even describe how freaked-out, scared out of my wits and extremely paranoid I am during and after reading this. It's like re-watching reading Exorcism of Emily Rose but more, everything is fucked-up, even the minor characters, it's like Perry can't trust everyone.. I was scared because of what's happening but more than that, I was scared because I'm no longer sure whom Perry should trust anymore. I think that On Demon Wings, so far is the scariest of all the books in this series..I'm kind of expecting a nightmare tonight from this book alone.



Old Blood, book 5.5 tells us the story of "Creepy Clown Lady", the old Creepy lady who keeps on showing herself to Perry, giving her cryptic messages. Aside from Creepy Clown Lady, we also get to see a glimpse of Dex life as a child.

Into the Hollow, the 6th book in the series. I thought that this book is one of the least scary books in the series or maybe I just reach my limit of being scared, I'm so scared from reading the 5th book, that I kinda get numb and all lol. Even-though I didn't get scared-out-my-wits-scared from reading this doesn't mean that this book is not good, honestly.. the story as always is good if not better and involves lots of scary situations. But unlike the previous one, were dealing a sort of an animal..nah a monster here, with physical body and all so..I was not that scared which if it's real I should be, because this monster/s is really dangerous, the killing-type dangerous.


The 7th book which is Come Alive, will be out this coming june....