Eep! Geek!

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

2012-02-01T02:21:00.000-08:00

Waiting On Wednesday: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen
Date to be published: August 7th 2012

In this follow-up to Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas begins seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he’s asleep, and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong. These aren’t just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn’t know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn’t deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it’s time for him to return the favor.

Why I'm looking forward to Girl of Nightmares:

After reading Anna Dressed in Blood in just one sitting and not being able to live Cas and Anna behind, I knew what I wanted, maybe needed, even.... the second part of the installment - GIRL OF NIGHTMARES! I know, I've been fangirling over Anna and Cas these past few days it must already sound like an obsession! I'm so excited to see how Anna and Cas will meet again and what happens next! AUGUST, PLEASE COME FASTER! :)

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake Review

2012-01-25T02:49:00.000-08:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: TorTeen
Publishing Date: August 30, 2011
Book Details: Hardcover, 316 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

" Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story. . .

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life. " (from Goodreads)

Review Excerpt:

Kendare Blake’s writing is also very beautiful and well-woven. As I said earlier, Cas has a really good voice in the story – all thanks to Blake’s beautiful writing. The story was not as scary as I expected it to be, but that didn’t mean I was disappointed – not a single moment in this book was ever disappointing for me.

I am not exaggerating when I say that there has been no book since Lauren Oliver’s “Before I Fall” that has tugged at my heartstrings – but Anna Dressed in Blood changed that.

You see, I finished Anna Dressed in Blood in a matter of one seating. Yes, one seating. I couldn’t put it down.

Thessius Cassio Lowood is your ghost slayer boy and Anna is your killer ghost. Ghost slayer boy should be slaying the ghost, but no, he ends up protecting her for some odd reason, and killer ghost who’s supposed to kill, but no, she spares him.

There’s so much more to this book than what the summaries you find are going to tell you. You HAVE to read it to understand why it’s one of the books that actually made tears fall down my eyes. Cas speaks well, very well. He has such a charming voice. Anna, well, Anna is a different story. Anna is a character which you aren’t going to be able to keep your mind off. Intriguing, strong and most of all, beautiful – clearly, she’s the best heroine I’ve encountered in all of the books I read to date.

Kendare Blake’s writing is also very beautiful and well-woven. As I said earlier, Cas has a really good voice in the story – all thanks to Blake’s beautiful writing. The story was not as scary as I expected it to be, but that didn’t mean I was disappointed – not a single moment in this book was ever disappointing for me.

Also, let me just say this randomly – everything about Anna is beautiful. Yup. I sacrificed this post’s coherence just to say that because I DO mean it.

The second installment of the series will be out this year which excites me to no end. I’d very much love to read the second part of this bizarre story alive, because I am DYING to read it!

My 1-year Hiatus is DONE!

2012-01-24T02:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, look at that one year hiatus!

It was an unexpected hiatus, which I will honestly attribute to my lack of interest and time - mostly because of the STRESSFUL college applications and all that "senior year" stuff, which I can gladly say is way past me now.

I finally got accepted in a university! Yup, someone like me actually gets accepted in uni! Also, my senior year is almost ending - in two months, actually.

I've still been reading books during my time away from book blogging, but not as much as I used to. So you may be wondering what got me to think about book blogging again....well, the answer is ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by KENDARE BLAKE! The whole world (or in this case the people who will be able to read my review) must know how THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST YA BOOKS WRITTEN EVER!!

So there, hello again book blogging community! :)

Christmas Countdown Huge Prize Pack Giveaway at Amaterasu Reads and Fragments of Life

2011-01-04T06:23:00.000-08:00

The awesome ladies at Amaterasu Reads and Fragments of Life are having a huge prize pack giveaway! Below are the details;

Prize Pack Giveaway

There will be two winners of this giveaway: one international winner and one winner from the Philippines. Winners will be chosen using random.org. And let me remind you. There are two chances of winning.

What’s in the prize packs?

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers (signed) + swag
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Deadly by Julie Chibbaro (signed ARC)
Revelations by Melissa dela Cruz
Two sets of Every Girl’s Guide Trilogy by Marla Miniano

Isn't this exciting? Join now!

Blog tour with Sybil Nelson!

2010-12-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! After a week of taking a break from blogging due to the holiday season, I'm finally back! And today, Sybil Nelson (author of Priscilla the Great) has prepared for you all a guest post about the worst comic book movies!

So, I'll excuse myself and let Priscilla take over! Have fun reading!

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Priscilla's Top 8 Worst Comic Book Movies:

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about the top 6 worst book to movie adaptations. I don’t claim to be an expert on books. I mean my idea of literature is an XMen comic. But my dad has this crazy rule that if I want to see a movie and there has been a book about it, I have to read the book before I’m allowed to see the movie. Parents. Always trying to make you smart and stuff. Anyway, that list got me thinking more about comic book movies. So I decided to make a list of the top 8 worst comic book movies as well.

This is an important topic for me because my book Priscilla the Great is soon to be made into a movie. Well, at least my creator, Sybil Nelson, has already sold the movie rights. Who knows if it will actually happen or not, right? Well, Movie Making People, consider the following list a guideline as to what NOT to do when making my movie.

In no particular order, the top 8 worst comic book movies are:

Daredevil – A blind man searches for justice. Blind justice. This is possibly the worst movie I’ve ever seen in my life. When there’s supposed to be a romantic part and I burst out laughing because it’s so ridiculous, then you know something ain’t right.

Catwoman – This movie was so bad it pains me to even think about it. Oh, poor shy Halle Berry dies and is reborn as some confident supercat. I think the maker of this movie should be forced to apologize to all women…and cats for that matter.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – Here the movie took a pretty cool concept of literaturary superheroes like Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, and Mina Murray the Dracula hunter and turn it into a ridiculous, plot-less mish mash of CGI and special effects. Ugh

Judge Dredd – An okay futuristic plot ruined by a poorly delivered line “I am the Law.” It still makes me laugh…I don’t think that was the intention.

Howard the Duck – I just have to shake my head and say “Why?”

Steel – Two words. Shaquille O’Neal. Nuff said

Elektra – Really? Come on. Who green lighted this? Did you see how bad Daredevil was? Do you really hate as a society so much that you inflict this pain on us? I think this was just cruel and unusual punishment.

Hulk – “I don’t think you’re gonna like me when I’m angry.” Yeah, and I don’t think you’re gonna like me when I pay to watch an awful movie. This movie was so bad that they tried to redeem the franchise and make another one just five years later. Sorry, they both fail. I mean, in both, they fail to explain how his pants stay on even though he’s grown to like 100 times bigger. Are they magic pants? I just don’t get it.

Okay, rant over. So in conclusion, I would just like to say that if my movie is the exact opposite of any of the above movies, I will consider it a success. So what do you think? What’s the worst comic book to movie adaptation you’ve seen?

And be sure to read my book Priscilla the Great so that when the movie comes out you can be the judge of its greatness. And check out www.priscillathegreat.com and vote on what actors play in the movie.

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Priscilla the Great by Sybil Nelson
visit Priscilla the Great's website

"If you think your middle school years are awkward and traumatic, try going through them with fire shooting out of your fingers!

Hey, I’m Priscilla and all I want is to be a normal seventh grader. That’s hard enough with an older brother annoyingly obsessed with Christina Aguilera, mischievous baby twin brothers who could scare the sin off of Satan, and parents more puzzling than a Rubik’s cube in the Bermuda triangle.

But when psycho, genetically enhanced assassins start trying to kill me and my family, being normal is downright impossible."

Follow Friday (13) and Book Blogger Hop(12)

2010-12-10T00:47:00.000-08:00

No classes today, so yay! An earlier Follow Friday (hosted by Parajunkee) and Book Blogger Hop (hosted by Crazy For Books) post than usual! I feel so excited to meet new book bloggers this week!

This week's questions!

Do you have an under-noticed author that you think we should all know about?

Sure I do! I don't think Lauren Barnholdt (link takes you to author's website) is an author that the masses have heard of... maybe you've heard of her, but most of my friends haven't - and they don't know what they're missing out on! In case it's the first time you've heard of her, I REALLY recommend that you read her book, Two-Way Street.

- Follow Friday Question

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-Book Blogger Hop content goes here once 's post is up!

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Contest Plugs:
Bree's Books: December Giveaway

How about you? What are your answers to this week's questions from Follow Friday and the Book Blogger Hop?

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger Review

2010-12-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Little Brown/Poppy
Publishing Date: September 7th 2010
Book Details: Hardcover, 288 pages
Source: Bought (eBook)
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

"Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone."

Review Excerpt:

"This was a truly beautiful book, weaved so well that you can almost find no holes in it!"

The DUFF was definitely one of the best debut novels I've read!

I wasn't expecting much from it originally, but I got hooked from page one! I read this in the digital format, and usually I have a much lower attention span reading stuff on digital devices rather than reading on tangible books - but with The DUFF, it's TOTALLY different. I spent 3 hours reading the book continuously (except for a 10 minute break because I had to eat dinner!). I practically refused to put my reader down!

What we find in The DUFF is a typical teenager named Bianca Piper. You think she's typical at first because you don't know her. You don't know that she has to deal with a complicated family life, a painful memory from a past relationship, and that "normal" teenager doesn't exactly translate to "teenager with no problems". Bianca finds herself wanting to escape reality, and so she gets Wesley to help her. Wesley is above average - he's hot, a womanizer, smart and rich. But that's not all there is about him too. The two find comfort and understanding in each other - which makes the situation weird (considering that they had a pretty bad start, and that Bianca hated Wesley a lot!), but absolutely adorable and fun to read!

Bianca is a girl that I'm guessing we can all relate to. We all have friends - BEAUTIFUL friends at that (Bianca has Casey and Jessica - two very gorgeous and lovable characters)! Sometimes we can't help but compare ourselves to them, sometimes, we even end up thinking that they're a whole lot better than us! But that is not entirely the case, the truth is that EVERY girl fills like a DUFF, like she's uglier than her friends, like she's the ugly duckling of the group - but that's not entirely true. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I believe that "beautiful" is a word which has infinite meaning. For me, it may have a different meaning than your definition of "beautiful" - but who cares? I believe that everyone is beautiful in their own right!

Just like how Bianca was hurt by Wesley's "Duff" jokes, the same things can happen to us and our peers. Sometimes, we think that jokes hurt no one and they're meant to brighten up the mood, but sometimes, even if the people we make jokes about don't show us, they feel hurt. They feel self-pity. They start believing that the jokes we make about them are real. Heck, sometimes we don't even know when we've made jokes about the things that another person feels very insecure about! Today, I have learned that we should always make sure that our jokes hurt no one and be more sensitive to others.

We're all like Bianca - we try to run away from our problems, we try to mask them and pretend to be strong just so no one can see how hard the problems were facing are... we try to lie about our feelings just to feel safer. We fight with our friends, we get dragged along by friends to places we don't really want to go at, we keep secrets, we protect the people we love, even if it means lying for them... And most of all, we all feel like we're not enough - but the truth is, just being ourselves is enough.

This was a truly beautiful book, weaved so well that you can almost find no holes in it! It is a MUST READ. Kody Keplinger definitely catches the "teen voice" perfectly. The story ended well. While most people are a little disappointed by how it ended, I for one was satisfied. I think that they deserved a happy ending, and that both parties were trying to become better for each other.

Have you read the book yet? What did you think about it?

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

2010-12-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

Waiting On Wednesday: Bitter Frost by Kailin Gow

Author: Kailin Gow
Publisher: The Edge
Date to be published: June 1st 2011

All her life, Breena had always dreamed about fairies as though she lived among them...beautiful fairies living among mortals and living in Feyland. In her dreams, he was always there the breathtakingly handsome but dangerous Winter Prince, Kian, who is her intended. When Breena turns sixteen, she begins seeing fairies and other creatures mortals don t see. Her best friend Logan, suddenly acts very protective. Then she sees Kian, who seems intent on finding her and carrying her off to Feyland. That's fine and all, but for the fact that humans rarely survive a trip to Feyland, a kiss from a fairy generally means death to the human unless that human has fairy blood in them or is very strong, and although Kian seemed to be her intended, he seems to hate her and wants her dead.

Why I'm looking forward to Bitter Frost:

This sounds a lot like The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, and I loved The Iron King, so I'm REALLY hoping that this one would be as good, if not better! But I also hope that it won't be so much like The Iron King, I'm hoping there would be differences.

Trailer Tuesday (1)

2010-12-07T05:21:00.001-08:00

This week, I have fallen in love with a book because of it's trailer... Yes, I NEVER knew that was possible! This year, my most anticipated book happens to be Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (just because I saw this video...and well, read the summary!). No cover yet, but for this book - I will DEFINITELY kill!

Oh...and P.S. For the record, another "first" in a meme! ;)

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
(no cover yet!)

Brief Summary:

"Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story…

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.
So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill.
Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life."

*****
For whatever reason, I am REALLY interested in reading this book. I really am attracted to this book for whatever reason I do not know of. Even though I haven't read the book yet, I have a feeling that I will definitely like Anna!

How about you? 'Found any good trailers recently?

It's Monday! What are you reading? (1)

2010-12-06T03:56:00.000-08:00

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This meme is hosted by Shiela of One Person's Journey through a World of Books.

This is my first time (as you can see, I've been having a lot of "first times" in these past few days when it comes to memes!) to do this meme, so as I always say, please excuse me If I do anything wrong or something filled with noob-ery! Also, please excuse the possibly poor formatting of texts, since I'm new and all! :P

So I've been reading The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa....

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Book Details: Paperback, 384 pages
Source: NetGalley
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

My name is Meaghan Chase.

I thought it was over.That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stay by my side. Drag me into the core of a conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

*****

Thoughts on the Book:

I've been with Ash, Puck and Meaghan for the last two books, and I sure as hell won't miss out on this one! I'm currently enjoying this book, Meaghan's been growing smarter about deals with fairies these days, Ash has been showing more emotion, and Puck... well, not much has changed about him, he's still the kind, funny and reliable best friend! Anyone who's loved the first two books definitely will love this one too! Meaghan's been becoming more independent and it's kind of fun to watch her do things she couldn't have done before and become braver! I am DEFINITELY enjoying this book!

How about you? It's MONDAY *dindininin!* *drumroll please!*, what are YOU reading? :)

The 2011 Debut Author Challenge

2010-12-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren. More details here, but don't worry, snippets of the details can be found in this blog post.

2011 Debut Author Challenge participant information:

* The objective of the DAC is to read at least twelve novels from Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit! I encourage readers who can read more than twelve to do so!
* Anyone can join. You don't have to be a blogger, and you don't have to live in the United States.
* You do not have to have an blog written in English to participate.
* You can join at anytime. The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

Qualifying books:

* Books must be a Young Adult or Middle Grade novel.
* DO NOTE: Just because a book has a teen character or is about a teen, does not mean that it is necessarily a Young Adult novel.
* This must be the authors debut with a release date in 2011.
* If an author has a previous novel published under adult fiction/nonfiction or children's fiction/nonfiction, they can still qualify for the challenge if they are releasing their YA or MG debut.

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So there you go! If you wish to join, take note of those rules and head here (because there are a few more guidelines)! Don't worry, I am ABSOLUTELY sure that we will all enjoy this challenge!

Hmmmmm, I'm a pretty indecisive person at times, especially when it comes to choosing books to read. But hey, this might actually be a great opportunity for me to overcome that! So here are the twelve (12) books I promise to read for this challenge (It's a promise, so I don't intend to break that!):

1. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
2. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
3. Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
4. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
5. Haven by Kristi Cook
6. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
7. Divergent by Veronica Roth
8. What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez
9. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
10. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
11. Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer
12. Entangled by Cat Clarke

I handpicked every single one of those, so I'm quite confident that I REALLY REALLY want to read them. In fact, I don't feel that this is a challenge at all! I see this as something that's waaay to fun to be called a "challenge"!

* Books in bold are the books I have yet to read.
* Books in bold but are italicized are the books that I have copies of but still haven't read them yet/finished reading them
* Books not in bold are the books I'm done reading, yay!!!

Let's all enjoy, shall we? I'm looking forward to the year 2011~!

On My Wishlist (1)

2010-12-04T03:56:00.000-08:00

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. If you want to know more click HERE.

This is my first On My Wishlist meme post, so excuse the noob-ery and the poor formatting of posts :P

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Brief Summary:
When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

***

Dystopian with a twist? Yes please! I usually don't take interest in books involving teen pregnancy, but it's another story when teen pregnancy is mixed with one of my favorite genres - dystopian!

Elixir by Hilary Duff and Elise Allen (contributor)

Brief Summary:
As the daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington D.C. politician, Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. And though she dreads the paparazzi who track her every move, she herself is a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world.

But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful young man begin to appear in Clea’s photos—a man she has never seen in her life.

When Clea suddenly encounters this man in person she is stunned—and feels an immediate and powerful connection. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance and discover the centuries-old truth behind their intense bond.

Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fate, together they race against time to unravel their past in order to save their future—and their lives.

***

Sorry, but will you repeat that? Hilary Duff with a novel? Yes please! This book has received so much hype and I'm quite interested to see what they're all talking about. I would buy this... but it's quite pricey, and I buy most of the books with my own allowance (asking my parents for books is something I rarely do). Hearing that majority of the people who've read this didn't like it much - I'm waiting for a paperback copy before I buy it. That'll save me more money so I would regret splurging on this book less if in case I end up not liking it ;)

Girl Parts by John M. Cussick

What happens when a robot designed to be a boy’s ideal “companion” develops a will of her own? A compulsively readable novel from a new talent.

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot designed to encourage healthy bonds and treat his “dissociative disorder,” he can’t get enough of luscious redheaded Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Parted from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal “companion” is about to become her own best friend. In a stunning and hilarious debut, John Cusick takes rollicking aim at internet culture and our craving for meaningful connection in an uberconnected world.

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I have always, ALWAYS, wanted to buy this book, but I have never, NEVER, found it while shopping for books, EVER, not on any popular bookstores here in the Philippines! :(

So that's it for this week's On My Wishlist post :) I have A LOT of books that I want to post here but I guess the others will have to wait until next week. :) See you around!

Follow Friday (12) and Book Blogger Hop(11)

2010-12-03T07:19:00.000-08:00

TGIF! It's time to go and meet new book bloggers (pressumably AWESOME book bloggers!) through Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee and the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Crazy For Books!

This week's question comes from Marce who blogs at Tea Time With Marce:

"What very popular and hyped book in the blogosphere did you NOT enjoy and how did you feel about posting your review?"

Hmmm... Let me think... Leviathan by Scott Westerfield is the only book that comes to mind! It had a very lovely cover and received a lot of good reviews, so I really did expect a lot from it. But in the end, I was left disappointed - in fact, I didn't even bother to finish the book at all (Life is too short to force yourself to read a book that you REALLY aren't interested in)! Still, although I didn't like the book much, I wouldn't tell people not to read it because what did not work out for me MIGHT work out for others, right? :)

What do you do besides reading/review as a hobby?

A lot! I cosplay, but I haven't cosplayed for a year now :'(. Cosplaying is not a very affordable hobby, so I decided on stopping for a bit. I also play a lot of video games. My most favorite would be the The Sims franchise, and Kingdom Hearts II...and Final Fantasy Crisis Core...and the list goes on! I also love to doodle and draw, especially during class hours! Bad student! :P

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

2010-12-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

Hola everyone! Who's up for a challenge this 2011? Me being a fan of mystery and suspense, am eager, actually scratch that, VERY eager to join the Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge 2010 hosted by the Book Chick City!

Do you love Mystery and Suspense? YES? Join now!

Some details:

Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011

Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)

You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

At the beginning of Jan 2011, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews. There will be a monthly prize too courtesy of the lovely Simon & Schuster - you must be signed up to the challenge and add the link to your review to be entered into the monthly prize draw.

All details can be found here. Oh boy, I'm so excited!

As for me, since I'm quite an indecisive person, I won't choose my books early. I'll be posting my books as I go. Have fun everyone!

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

2010-12-01T04:28:00.000-08:00

Waiting On Wednesday: A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Date to be published: June 21st 2011

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him.

But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

Now, at seventeen, Charlotte finds the Need has virtually taken over her life, and it’s becoming harder and harder to hide these compulsions—if anyone knew about the Need, they would think she was crazy.

There have been others before who’ve felt the Need, but they’re gone—disappeared in a burst of light and erased from the memories of everyone whose lives they had touched. It’s as though they never existed. This is the fate that awaits Charlotte. But the last thing Charlotte wants to do is disappear, to be Forgotten. She wants to stay with her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend’s arms forever. She wishes she could just ignore the Need, but she can’t. And as everyone important in her life begins to slowly forget her, she has to decide if she’ll fight the Need in order to remain herself—no matter how dark the consequences.

Why I'm looking forward to A Need So Beautiful:

Usually, those that do good are the ones that are remembered, especially in stories - but not this time. Charlotte is about to disappear from everyone's memories, just because she has a knack for helping others! I'm a big sucker for stories involving a person forgetting his/her memories, amnesia, and the likes - and the worst part is, I don't know why! I am really interested to see how her story ends and how she will cope with the changes and possible loss of her existence and everything important to her. This really seems like a promising read, yes?

Graceling by Kristin Cashore Review

2010-11-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publishing Date: October 1st 2008
Book Details: Paperback, 352 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

"Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight — she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme, and in her case horrifying, skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change."

Review Excerpt:

"To cut things short - yes, I am VERY pleased with the story but no, the cover didn't please me at all. The story had some flaws, like I mentioned - but the story is still very likable! Fantastic job, Kristin Cashore!"

I bought my copy of Graceling two months ago. I haven't gotten into reading it before because more book covers captured my interest more than this one (Yes, I judge SOME books by their cover) - and I was dead wrong to have waited for so long to read this!

I developed a strong liking towards the Katsa and Po relationship as the book furthered. But one thing that surprised me was how they had sexual intercourse - I was shocked because I didn't think that the book would contain sexual themes (although it was worded by the author nicely, so it doesn't use any vulgar words at all!).

Another strong point of this book is that it's not hell bent on giving the readers happy, fluffy moments only. I won't spoil anything but I have to say that when one is in a war, no matter how strong a person is - one shouldn't come out unscathed - that would be way unrealistic, especially if there's a bunch of thugs ganging up on you! So good job on that (even though some outcomes were a bit tragic, but nevertheless realistic and logical!), Kristin Cashore!

It's also remarkable how Katsa gets into terms with her Grace and starts to think of it as more of a gift than a curse - that's what you call character development! I also love how Bitterblue was such an adorable character (in case you didn't know, she will have her own book soon!). Bitterblue is a very interesting character.

The bad guys? I won't spoil who REALLY is the bad guy, but if there's one thing I disliked about this book, it's how easily the antagonist was killed by Katsa. But that's not really a surprise at all, right? Considering her Grace, I mean. ;)

From a teen's point-of-view (aka mine), Katsa and Po's "not going to marry each other ever" relationship comes off as quite a shock and a disappointment. First of all, I'm not used to such endings (sorry, a little bit spoiler-y!) when the characters don't end up together (Come on! Bella and Edward married and even had a kid! Belle and the Beast are married!). I feel as if their relationship really did not have closure - whether it's permanent or not etcetera etcetera.

To cut things short - yes, I am VERY pleased with the story but no, the cover didn't please me at all. The story had some flaws, like I mentioned - but the story is still very likable! Fantastic job, Kristin Cashore!

Returning after a long hiatus!

2010-11-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to be able to be blogging about books again! I have been so busy these past few weeks that I found little to no time for blogging (school has been very hard on me!).

I'm working on a lot of things right now to improve the blog. (Like a new logo, interface, redesign, etc.) Although I'm a little sad to report that it seems as if I am losing my touch when it comes to web designing. :'( Still, my love for books will ALWAYS keep me going. I honestly don't see myself leaving book blogging for a long period of time!

I missed everyone! Let's catch up soon, shall we?

P.S If anyone here can help me design a layout, please contact me! I'd be really grateful!

Vampyre Kisses by Elizabeth Kolodziej Review

2010-10-22T05:18:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰
Author: Elizabeth J. Kolodziej
Publisher: Eloquent Books
Publishing Date: May 11, 2010
Book Details: 228 pages
Source: Sent by the author for an honest review! Thank you! :)
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

Vampyre Kisses is an enthralling story about a young woman named Faith, who seems content with her life, but deep down craves more excitement. Then a mysterious man named Trent enters her world and everything changes. Surprising to Faith, Trent is a green-eyed vampire from Ireland. She is even more amazed to find out that she is a witch, and the last of her kind.

Faith learns that she is destined to restore her witch line and becomes more powerful as she gains confidence and knowledge, but danger lurks everywhere -- especially when unknown assailants steal the most important gems from the vampire master and werewolf royalty.

Now surrounded by a world filled with mystifying vampires and werewolves, can Faith gain enough power to help her friends and rescue the stolen gems?

Review Excerpt:

"Vampyre Kisses was a good book. I can't say it was the best but it was definitely good."

Vampyre Kisses was a good book. I can't say it was the best but it was definitely good.

If you ask me what I liked most about Vampyre Kisses, it must be that it includes not only vampires in the story but also witches, wolves and other mythological creatures! Also, I like how the POV changes - I am quite a huge fan of books that have more than one character who narrates the story!

The romance in this book was also good. It is not your typical "vampire meets human so they fall in love" story. The books seemed to be well-thought of and the details were carefully laid down to us. The author made obvious efforts to research about the story while writing it! Good job, Elizabeth Kolodziej!

Follow Friday (11) and Book Blogger Hop(10)

2010-10-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

Anybody who is a big fan of "anime" and "manga" probably have read the last chapter of Ouran Host Club. I just finished it yesterday, and I felt like sobbing. I'm surely going to miss the series. I'm crossing my fingers for a season 2 in the anime series but I'm pretty sure they've wrapped up the manga. Oh well, great things eventually have to come to an end anyway :P

So that's random blabber.

Another random blab, did you know there's no new Vampire Diaries episode this week? So upsetting, right?

BUT, the good thing about TODAY is that it's FRIDAY, and it's time for FOLLOW FRIDAY (hosted by Parajunkee) AND BOOK BLOGGER HOP (hosted by Crazy for Books)! WOOHOO! I haven't done this meme in two weeks now or one...I think. And I miss it soooo much :)

To answer this week's question, if there was a book I'd like to recommend to everyone right now, it would be Sarah Dessen's "Lock and Key". It made me realize and think a lot of things over.

"Ruby, where is your mother?" Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return. That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future—it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

I'd recommend it to anyone! :)

As for the Book Blogger Hop question of the week, "When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?", my answer is as follows:

No. I believe that life is too short to keep reading books you don't really want to. That's just me, though. Although occasionally, there comes a book that starts off as intriguing and gets boring midway, I still continue and finish the book, :) I guess it really just depends if I can still handle reading the book or I really really REALLY can't get into it. :P

Happy Weekends, everyone! :)

Extreme Reader Book Reviews Blogoversary Contest! and more!

2010-10-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Did you hear how Extreme Reader Book Reviews is celebrating their Blogoversary and is having a MAJOR giveaway?

There will be 9 LUCKY WINNERS, and best of all, it's INTERNATIONAL!

Join the fun here!

The following is from the original site (Extreme Reader Book Reviews):

Radiance by Allyson Noel
Reckless by Cornelia Funke
Zen and Zander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Manifest by Artist Arthur (arc)
The Emerald Talisman (arc-used copy from arc tour but good condition)
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
*Swag Bag ~ Forgive My Fins bookmark, Oh.My.Gods and Goddess Bootcamp bookmark , temporary tattoo, pins and a signed Tera Lynn Childs bookplate, Forget-Her-Nots bookmark, Mockingjay temporary tattoo, a signed Shadow Hills poster and pin, The Dead-Tossed Waves sticker and a signed Carrie Ryan bookplate, Intrinsical bookmark, and a signed The Emerald Talisman card!!!

*****************************************************************

Also, check out Reading or Breathing's "Impossible" by Nancy Werlin contest! It's open internationally too! :)

Goodluck to everyone who's participating, have fun! :)

Nice Girls Read Books is having a 50 Follower Giveaway!

2010-10-08T03:12:00.001-07:00

Brittany from Nice Girls Read Books is having a 50 Follower Giveaway! She's giving away a copy of Crescendo and Enchanted Ivy. Best of all, it's INTERNATIONAL!

To celebrate Nice Girls Read Books reaching 50 followers this month, I want to give my new and old followers a chance to win one of my most anticipated books of October! You can pick either Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (which is the second book in the Hush, Hush series) or Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst! All you have to do is be a follower and fill out the form.

Contest is open INTERNATIONALLY, wherever the Book Depository ships!

Join the contest here. Good luck to you!

International Book Blogger Feature #1: Kai Agito from Amaterasu Reads (Philippines)

2010-10-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

This is my first International Book Blogger feature. Every week, I will feature book bloggers from around the world and ask them a few questions about their culture etc. I hope that through this, us international book bloggers can get to know each other more and hopefully understand each other better.

For this week, we have Kai from Amaterasu Reads. She's a very interesting Filipina who loves reading books! I personally like her reviews and frequent her blog a lot. I guess I went a bit overboard with asking her a lot of questions :P Read along as Kai tells us about herself, her country's literature and book blogging experiences!

So let's begin!

Hi, Kai! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Let's see. I'm your average twenty something professional who's got it bad for books. I've been reading since I was 10, all thanks to my mom who got me into reading. I devoured her romance book collection, so before I ever knew J.K. Rowling exist, I've been a big fan of Sandra Brown & Nicole Jordan. When I'm not reading books I read manga, which is, well, still reading and I watch TV shows (I'm a big fan of The Big Bang Theory). I speak Japanese too. :)

I'm just wondering... What inspired you to begin book blogging?

Books! :) No, actually, its because of two things. One, so I can get the word out there that I love books and hopefully find more people who loves books like me. Believe it or not, I don't know a lot of people who reads like I do, so book blogging is a great way to gain friends. The second reason is because I want to write. I've been a frustrated writer all my life, so writing reviews and giving my opinions is a way for me to hone my writing skills. Yes, I do dream of being a published author someday.

Name some of your favorite books that are authored by other Filipinos. Tell us a bit about them!

Honestly, I haven't read much books with Filipino authors (a shame, I know). If you count romance novels, PHR romances, then I have a few from Martha Cecilia. A friend of mine has been recommending Candy Gourlay's Tall Story. I haven't read it yet. Another one to try out is Cindy Martinusen Coloma's Orchid House which is a book set in our country. I've just realized how much fun it is to read books about Filipinos, makes me feel so close to home and appreciate the story more since it is about home.

Would you mind telling us a bit about Filipino literature?

Our literature is very beautiful, rich and intriguing. I remember when I was little, I enjoyed reading about legends and myths about places and people. Did you know that we have our own Gods and Goddesses? The Bible has Adam and Eve, we have Malakas and Maganda. We have Dekada Sitenta, we have Jose Rizal. Filipinos are extremely talented writers, and we have an equally grand and fascinating culture to draw stories from. It's a bit disappointing to see that ours isn't as widely known, I'd like to see books with Filipino authors and stories about the Philippines in the same shelves as those that I read.

In which language do you prefer reading books, English or your local language (Filipino)?

I prefer to read in both, but its been a long time since I have read a book in Filipino. Even Filipinos use English to write, so everything I read these days are in English.

How many languages can you speak? Just wondering!

4. I speak Filipino, English, Japanese and a bit of Korean. I studied Japanese (2 months crash course, which nearly killed me.) and worked in Japan briefly. It's funny how I learned Korean though. I'm a huge fan of Asian music, mostly Japanese and Korean pop. I'm a fangirl. I've been one for so long, its essential that you know a bit of the language to survive. I can read and write in Korean, but I need to work on my conversational skills.

Do you think that being an international book blogger is easy? Or is it hard?

I try to ignore the drawbacks/disadvantages. Sometimes I wish we have more access to ARC, but I'm beginning to understand, that book blogging is not about who gets to read what the earliest, its about sharing your love for books to other people and appreciating authors for writing such wonderful stories. The challenge in book blogging, I guess, is how to always make your post/reviews interesting so people will continue to read it. Setting yourself apart when there are tons of book bloggers out there is what makes it interesting.

Being a Filipino myself, I'm quite aware that most Filipinos don't like or atleast don't read books, how do you think you can influence others to get more interested in reading books?

The same is the case with my twin brother (yes I do have one and he's hopeless). It wouldn't hurt to encourage people to read once in a while. You can start with your family. On my side, I urge my nephew and niece to read. I try to introduce books to my friends whenever I can. It's hard, but it can be done. My blog can also be an example of how fun it can be to read.

Besides book blogging, how do you promote reading in your community?

Like I said, I start with my family. I guess it all follows from there. My nephew can encourage his peers to read and it spreads. It's good to start with your own and eventually more people will be reading. I try to visit bookstores if I have time and look around and see if there are people who might be interested in some books I think are good reads. I don't do it often though.

What are some tips you can give to your fellow international book bloggers?

Remember that its supposed to be fun. You do not force yourself to read and blog, you do it because you love it.
Enjoy reading and blogging! My book blog is new but I'm really having fun and I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon.
Also, make new friends and share your love of books. :)

What book blogs do you frequent?

I don't visit that much blogs since I'm quite busy with my own and reading, but when I do I frequent these blogs:

Tina of One More Page. She's my friend and Tina writes amazing reviews! I guarantee you'll read a book once you read her review.
The same thing with reviews from Girls Without a Bookshelf. My TBR list is piling up because they seem to be reading a lot of good books (their reviews are fantastic as well!) with me ending up wanting to read it too.
Kris from Voracious YAppetite. I love her book selections (she also has tons of dystopian books, so if you're interested in that, visit her blog!).
I also read reviews from Mundie Moms and Parajunkee and The Book Smugglers.

Last question, who's your favorite international book blogger and why?

Kristi of The Story Siren. She was one of the biggest reasons why I started book blogging. I think she's one of the greatest examples that book blogging can be enjoyable and worthwhile

Whew~ I'm so sorry if its too long! I had so much fun answering all questions and it looks like I ended up writing too much.

Thanks a lot Kai for participating (and putting up with my many questions)! It was fun interviewing you!

Stop by and visit Amaterasu Reads to read more of Kai's thoughts, reviews, and bookworm-ish posts!

Follow Friday (10) and Book Blogger Hop(9)

2010-10-01T04:23:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I miss doing my one of my two most favorite memes in the world, Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday! It's amazing how the net can bring people together these days! Like now, I can finally connect to other people who have a love for books, and WORLDWIDE too!

Thank God for the internet! (Not to mention, the internet also makes working on homework a hell lot more EASIER!)

So anyway, for this week's Book Blogger Hop question - How do you spread the word about your blog?

Ehhh.. Isn't this already spreading the word about my blog? I don't do much. Really! I comment, post on memes like these, add my blog to some directories... hmm, the common stuff, actually. But I never talk to anyone I know in real life about my blog. I don't advertise it in my Facebook page, at all. I don't know why I don't feel comfortable about telling them that I actually do have a book blog. My family doesn't even know I have one! :P

As for Follow Friday's question - What books have bitten you?

Bitten me? Haha! I don't really get what that's supposed to mean. But if that means "books that have left a mark" on me...then that's Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (I've been recommending it to everyone who hasn't read it yet! I've even been lending my copy out nonstop! One after the other...and another!).

How about you, have have you been doing this week, amigas/amigos?

Carol's Prints is having yet another ARC giveaway

2010-09-28T23:34:00.001-07:00

...is she ever gonna stop giving away ARCs? I hope not!

Enter her contest here.

She's giving away ARCs of:
a) Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
b) Pegasus by Robert McKinley
c) Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner
d) I Was Jane Austen's Bestfriend by Cora Harrison
e) The Witches' Kitchen by Allen Williams

Contest ends on October 4, HURRY!

A Match Made In Heaven by Kristen Walker Review

2010-09-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰
Author: Kristin Walker
Publisher: Razorbill
Publishing Date: February 4, 2010
Book Details: 288 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:
When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

Review Excerpt:

"I thought that the story was short, but nevertheless, it was good. I actually finished the book in one sitting."

The book was funny, in general. The lines of the characters were all witty, smart and can easily bring a smirk on your face! I love how the "voices" of these characters were really realistic and spoke as though they were real, normal teens of today.

The only part of the book that was predictable for me was Mar's "secret". I knew it right from the start! Other than that, I was quite surprised by the turn of events, especially about Fiona's love life! I was rooting for Fiona and Todd to have feelings for each other later in the book (and I thought that it was going to end up that way), but no, I was wrong! Sam was really adorable and sweet. I guess since Todd and Amanda didn't break up, it just means to say that they really love each other. Todd was the best character, in my opinion, in this book. Fiona was great too, though! It's really good how finally, a book comes up and does NOT do the "I'm-leaving-my-girlfriend-because-I-figured-I'm-more-into-you" drama. However, since I was expecting Todd and Fiona to end up in the beginning, I was quite disheartened at the end. It was a good ending though...although I would say, not quite fitting. The book SERIOUSLY made me think that Todd was the one for Fiona. The stuff they did together was confusing.

I thought that the story was short, but nevertheless, it was good. I actually finished the book in one sitting. I still wish though that Todd and Fiona did end up together!

Your thoughts about the book?

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel Review

2010-09-18T01:26:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Rebecca Maizel
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publishing Date: August 3rd 2010
Book Details: Paperback, 310 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Also, check out my casting for this book here.

Brief Summary:

"Lenah Beaudonte is your typical vampire...only that she is a queen! She is ruthless. She doesn't care who, where and how she kills a human, all she cares for is blood. That is until her wish to be a human was granted by her lover-slash-bestfriend Rhode, the vampire who turned her. But the cost of her wish meant Rhode's death.

Now, Lenah is left alone by Rhode in Wickham. She has now become your average teenager. Almost. Justin Enos, the hottest guy in school has taken an interest in her, the mean, popular and beautiful girls have started keeping an eye on her, and now, she actually has found a bestfriend; Tony. But things aren't really going to be normal for long. Who says that her coven wouldn't come looking for her? Who says that they are going to let her go easily? They certainly are not."

Review Excerpt:

"The story was written beautifully. Everything made sense - things didn't just come out of nowhere. The story gives us a message, and yet is able to entertain us! This book should appeal to everyone who loves badass and beautiful heroines."

It's either I have only read a few books or I'm really right about this thought - that there are only EVER a few vampire queens in the YA Paranormal genre that are as badass as Lenah.

I liked Lenah a lot. I loved seeing her transition from wicked, beautiful vampire to cheerful, innocent and still beautiful human. I guess the parts I like most are the moments where she has a hard time fitting in the real world and it gets so amusing to watch a vampire queen be ignorant of the modern times! Justin was likable too. I liked how he could cry for Lenah; how he could show his feelings for Lenah, and how he was very adventurous and full of light! He certainly brought light to Lenah's dark world. But I wouldn't choose Justin over Rhode.

Rhode is just the perfect vampire guy. Sure, he's made mistakes, but he has learned his lessons over time. I admired his personality and character a lot. I like how he's a best friend to Lenah and a lover at the same time. Everything about him is lovable, and made sense. By "made sense" I meant that he was not your "too-goody-goody" vampire.

The coven? Oh I would like to hear more about them! Especially Vicken. Vicken was a character I could relate to. He is the perfect example of us people (although he's a vampire). He wants his life back, his time back - and because of his extreme desire to do so, he suddenly forgets what is right and what is wrong. He even forgets his love for Lenah!

Lenah, in the end, is a character that one will truly admire. You have to admit, there are some things in life that you've done that you aren't really proud of. Just like her, you want to change, you want to start over. But that's not entirely possible. The past cannot be changed, but the future can be. That is one important lesson I learned from Lenah.

Just like Lenah, everyone should learn to love the little things in life - how you could go out and walk under the sun, how your heart can beat even though it's badly hurt, and how your eyes can produce tears when you need to release your frustrations and anger. After 592 years of killing people, toying with their feelings, it was amazing how after her human experience she became a whole new person.

I can't wait for the second book! I'd like to find out more about Rhode and Vicken. I'm not actually rooting for Justin. At first, I was totally for Tony! But then again, we can't have all we wish for to come true, no? I'm pretty sure that she's never going to end up with Tony (read the book so you can find out why I think so).

The story was written beautifully. Everything made sense - things didn't just come out of nowhere. The story gives us a message, and yet is able to entertain us! This book should appeal to everyone who loves badass and beautiful heroines.

Did you enjoy this book? If so, what part do you think was the most enjoyable?

Infinite Days Casting!

2010-09-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel two days ago and I still can't seem to get it out of my mind. I'm always thinking about "Rhode.Rhode.Rhode" all the time! A review will come soon, for sure! I really would like to thank Rebecca Maizel for giving me the chance to join a contest of hers, and as well as giving me a chance to show you guys the people I had in mind while reading the book! Hope you like them!

Anyway, as for my selected cast for the Infinite Days, they are;

Rhode

Ahh, yes, Rhode! As I've mentioned earlier, I could not keep my mind from thinking about Rhode for two straight days! For me, Rhode was the most beautiful vampire who ever existed in the world! And you have to admit, a vampire as kind-hearted and unselfish as Rhode deserves to be god-like in terms of physical appearance, does he not? See, if Rhode really did look like that, then it only figures why Lenah cannot simply forget about him! Simply put that he deserves the best, and the best person to portray him would be Chace Crawford!

Lenah

There has only been one Lenah for me. It has always been Zoey Deschanel. All the time. You know, the main reason why I fell in love with the book cover instantly is because it reminded me a lot of Zoey Deschanel. I think that she makes the most perfect Lenah! Not to mention is she stunningly beautiful, pale, and have very pretty features! She looks very regal, and thus making her look like royalty!

Justin

I saw Justin as fun - a lot of fun! And I also saw him as handsome; kinda your typical school heart throb who's very good with sports, has the looks to match, and etc. (too many good things about him)! He's supposed to be a daredevil - a handsome daredevil to be exact! So I chose Hunter Parrish for him!

Vicken

I imagined Vicken to look exactly the same as Jonathan Groff! I think he makes a perfect Vicken! Just by looking at him, I can tell that he has some sort of "secret" and yet makes me feel inferior to his heartbreakingly beautiful looks! Of course Lenah wouldn't waste her time being bonded to a boy who wasn't beautiful, so Vicken just HAD to look amazing!

That's it for my selected cast for the Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel! I enjoyed reading this book a lot and especially loved Rhode! Hope you like my casting of the book! Thank you, again, Rebecca for holding this awesome contest!

What do you think about my casting?

Follow Friday(9) and Book Blogger Hop(8)

2010-09-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm unexpectedly having a lot of free time this weekends...why, you ask? I decided to stay home on Saturday, which is pretty much my busiest day of all the weekends, and I didn't have anything to do today besides eat, sleep, gossip, and force myself to stay awake during class!

Follow Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunkee.

For this week's FF question - "favorite YA, or do you stick to the adult reads?"

Actually, I try to stick to YA only. But I pretty much read any genre as long as it sounds good! Most of the time though, I buy YA only. My favorite YA book must be The Hunger Games #1, but the trilogy was good too, overall! How about you?

Book Blogger Hop is a meme hosted by Crazy for Books.

So, what new book blogs have you recently discovered/followed? I'm soo excited to meet new book bloggers this week! See you all around! :)

Have a great weekend!

Blog undergoing site design change!

2010-09-15T04:06:00.001-07:00

Haven't been blogging for almost a week now!

Why? Well, one is that I've been very busy. Two is that I feel uneasy about my current blog layout... I feel as if it's lacking.. and a little bit messy!

The thing is, the web designer part of me is trying to tell the bookworm part of me to back off for a while and wait as she redesigns my now dull-looking blog. Plus, I'm currently getting back to a few of my other hobbies - i.e. gaming, watching anime, TV shows (Has anyone watched The Vampire Diaries season 2 episode 1) and etc.! Isn't that great? More stuff we can talk about! (Feel free to follow me on Twitter and hit me with a direct message)

So anyway, how are you doing? What books are you currently enjoying? Me, I'm loving every page, actually, ever sentence of Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel! How about you?

Follow Friday(8) and Book Blogger Hop(7)

2010-09-10T04:37:00.000-07:00

I'm currently watching The Vampire Diaries Season 1 Marathon on ETC. I am soooo Team Damon, how about you? Season 2 premiers on Tuesday 8PM here at my country, how about yours?

Anyway, since it's Friday (yayyy!), it's time for Follow Friday (hosted by Parajunkee) and Book Blog Hop (hosted by Crazy for Books)! Woohoo! Another chance to meet book bloggers all over the world!

So anyway, for Follow Friday's weekly question - "eBook or Print?"

I like printed copies more. I like having the book on my hands and turning the pages manually. I know that eBooks are more practical these days but one reason why I'm such a bookworm is because I love the feel of printed books... that I can't explain much why. Haha! How about you?

Oh, and let's not forget the Book Blog Hop weekly question -"Post a link to a favorite post or book review that you have written in the past three months."

That would be my review for Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I personally think that out of all my reviews, I put my strongest emotions in this review. How about you?

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller Review

2010-09-05T05:28:00.000-07:00

What if love refused to die?

Wouldn't that be great?

For Haven Moore, not at all. Especially when all your past relationships with the love of your life have ended badly. When sometimes you don't even get to meet the love of your life in one lifetime. When sometimes it's too late for both of you.

Ethan's back; the soul mate of Constance, Haven's past persona. But some things just aren't clear. Why is Iain, the present Ethan, lying? Is he hiding something?

Now what do you do, now that he's here? Will you doubt him? or will you not?

Genre/s: Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: Razorbill
Total Rating: 5 stars
Edition: ARC from International Book Tours
Available at: Fully Booked (PH), Powerbooks (PH), Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Borders and almost every bookstore!

This isn't the first book I've read about "past loves, reincarnation and a love you can't have - ever, as in not in any lifetime, but suddenly, *poof* the unexpected happens, you can be together this time" (Yes, I'm talking about Fallen by Lauren Kate)

The story is great, but not-so -original. I guess what makes this book special is the
Ouroboros Society - come on, do you find that many societies dealing with reincarnation in books? No, I don't think so. Also, mixed with the story is a game of politics, and a bit of mystery and horror, so it's not all "cheesy" stuff. The usually touchy religion subject is also another aspect of the book that makes it stand out above others. You see, it's hard to write a book (or atleast I think so) that somehow pertains to religion, and that I have to give the author praise for!

The Verdict

Plot: 5/5 The plot really makes you think. I mean seriously, it boggles with your thoughts and makes you doubt every character in the book. No one can be trusted.

Characters: 4/5 Iain sounded kinda cheesy to me, but everyone was great. I'd say I like Beau the most.

Cover: 4/5 Simple, but elegant looking, I should say.

Is it safe: Yes. Kind of. But the not-so-suitable parts are only mild, so not to worry!

TOTAL RATING: 5 STARS!

Follow Friday(8) and Book Blogger Hop(7)

2010-09-03T04:20:00.000-07:00

♫ "..and I don't see how we get this way, but I think we're alright"♫

Aah, yeah sorry, I'm currently listening to my favorite band, A Rocket to the Moon. If you're wondering what song I got that line from, it's from On Your Side by ARTTM. Are you a fan of ARTTM too?

Anyway, it's Friday again - my favorite day of the week! Time for Follow Friday (hosted by Parajunkee) and Book Blogger Hop (hosted by Crazy for Books).

So this week's question from BBH is - Do you judge a book by it's cover?
More often than not, yes. I can't help it! When I buy books I always want their covers to be oh-so-pretty, and besides, if a book has an awesome cover, then it just means to say that the designer put in an effort because he/she thinks that the book is good and that it would be a waste to have it's cover look awful. But yeah, that's just me.

And as for the Follow Friday question - What is your favorite brick and mortar bookstore?
None. I know, boring answer but really none. Haha!

How about you?

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Review

2010-09-01T06:50:00.001-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publishing Date: August 24th 2010
Book Details: Hardcover, 398 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

The plot thickens.

Suddenly, there is no one Katniss can trust. Not Coin. Not Boggs. Not Plutarch. Not Haymitch. Maybe Gale.

... maybe Peeta too, if only he was there.

Review Excerpt:

"I'm sure everyone who is also a fan of the trilogy has become attached to all the characters. But this book, I must warn you, is filled with tragedy. Yes, tragedy."

The Hunger Games Trilogy Book #3 (final book, actually) is out! And I managed to get a copy of it during the Mockingjay Launch at Bestsellers Bookstore, Robinsons Galleria, August 29, 2010.

I'm quite sure that you know of the premise of The Hunger Games (every book-crazed person has heard of this book, if not read it). But in case it's your first time to hear of this book (or have heard of the book but not it's premise) then check these pages out; Hunger Games at Goodreads and Catching Fire at Goodreads.

I will, not at all, suggest that you read this book without having any knowledge of the first two books. I also would not recommend you to read this first before you read the other two books - you'll know why when you read all books. Trust me!

The lack of Peeta, as an extreme Peeta fan, is one of the downsides of this book. I wanted more Peeta. more Peeta. Just more Peeta! But I guess that's going to be asking for too much - considering that the book is more in the "dystopian" genre and not romance.

I'm sure everyone who is also a fan of the trilogy has become attached to all the characters. But this book, I must warn you, is filled with tragedy. Yes, tragedy.

Think of Mockingjay as your favorite dessert - sweet but a calorie-filled food. Mockingjay has this power to captivate you - to bring you inside their world. Suddenly, their problems become yours too! I wasn't able to sleep until 12 midnight because I couldn't put the book down for I wanted soooo much to see what will happen next!

Mockingjay, if you ask me, is centered about the feeling of loss... about what you never really get back. Throughout the series, people died, important ones - too! But the good about this book is that Cinna, Mags and Rue is remembered. Other minor characters are mentioned too!

The thing I learned from Mockingjay is that sometimes we lose some things - and no matter what we do, we don't really get them back the way they were. But we can always accept change. True, the damage will always be there, but what's important is what you have now and how you can keep functioning even though parts of you are broken.

The series, if I may say, is one of the best not only because of it's plot but also it's characters. Still, the ending felt a little bit rushed. I will not delve into the full details why, but I do not think that major characters should just "fall off" the storyline suddenly - I wanted a clearer, more satisfying resolution.

Nevertheless, the book is still a personal favorite of mine!

Teaser Tuesday (2)

2010-08-31T06:12:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

All those months of taking it for granted that Peeta thought I was wonderful are over. Finally, he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly.

Katniss Everdeen, Mockingjay, p. 232

I hope you guys don't plan on stoning me for using Mockingjay as my Teaser Tuesday book to *ahem* post two sentences from. Haha!

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

2010-08-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine

A lot of very good upcoming YA books have been spotted by yours truly recently! Unfortunately, because I fear that Blogger might collapse due to the humongous number of images and words that this post might contain if I post about them all, I only picked some from my Waiting on Wednesday list! Here they are!

RIPPLE BY MANDY HUBBARD

Author: Mandy Hubbard
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Date to be published: June 21st 2011

Eighteen year old Lexi Wentworth is cursed. For as long as she can remember, she’s spent every night swimming. If she doesn’t, she’ll regret it—simply walking will be agony, as if she’s stepping on shattered glass. Her body craves the water, demands the water, until she can’t say no.

But it's not the swimming that troubles Lexi. It’s the singing that goes with it.When she turned sixteen, her siren song killed the only boy she's ever loved. Now, she avoids the popular shores of the Pacific in favor of a long forgotten lake up in the mountains, where she can swim and sing in peace, far from the population of her oceanside home.

Until, that is, Cole Mills discovers her lake. He’s new to Lincoln City High, and he doesn’t know about Lexi’s reputation as an ice queen—a reputation she’s carefully cultivated to keep everyone around her safe. He pushes her, talks to her, forces her to dream of what life could be like if she weren’t a siren.

Lexi can’t stop herself from warming to him, from falling for him. Soon, he’s demanding answers, following her to the lake, unknowingly risking his life. How can she keep him safe when the one thing she wants most--to hold him close-- will endanger his life?

MATCHED BY ALLY CONDIE

Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Date to be published: November 30th 2010

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

DELIRIUM BY LAUREN OLIVER

Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date to be published: February 1st 2011

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

How about you, what books are you waiting for?

In My Mailbox (6)

2010-08-29T00:56:00.001-07:00

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren.

This week, I got a few REALLY interesting books!

Fallen by Lauren Kate (Borrowed from a friend, thanks a lot!)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (It's about time I checked this out!)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (YES PLEASE. YES YES YES. 'Been waiting for this book for like a year now!)

So, what's in your mailbox this week?

Follow Friday(7) and Book Blogger Hop(6)

2010-08-27T04:02:00.001-07:00

Hola! It's Friday again - and it's time for - Follow Friday (hosted by Parajunkee) and Book Blogger Hop (hosted by Crazy For Books)!

This week's question is - Do you use a rating system for your reviews, and if so, what is it and why?

Yes, I do. I use the "5-star rating" kind of system, the only difference is that the stars are replaced by quills - which I'm planning to change soon since I kind of dislike it now. Actually,I might even change the layout sometime soon. I use a rating system so I can tell people who don't feel like reading my whole review how good the book is faster.

How about you, do you use a rating system? Have a great weekend!

Character Connection: Samantha Kingston

2010-08-26T03:12:00.000-07:00

Character Connection is a meme hosted by The Introverted Reader every Thursday. Character Connection gives us a chance to talk about our favorite characters, why we love them and basically anything we want to!

This week, I'm going to blab about my most favorite character - Samantha Kingston of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver!

Who gets to relive their last day on Earth for a week? Sam gets to! How awesome is that?

Well, that's not entirely the reason why she's my most favorite character of all time. Samantha Kingston is a girl I understood. We have a lot in common. Here are some of them:

I ignore my little brother and find him annoying most of the time.

I completely understand how it feels to have to follow this "social norm" to hate on a girl just because many people feel the same way about her (although I later regretted that after I finally grew up and matured a bit)

There are some things I say that I don't really mean - like who I really like, what I feel, etc. - just like her.

I love my crazy friends even though I know most of their flaws, although I have occasional fights with them..typical high school stuff!

and more...

I strongly admire Sam, because she was strong enough to let go. She was strong enough to let go, not just of one person - but of her whole life. Another strong point of hers is that she is actually selfless. One would use his/her last day on Earth probably by pampering himself/herself - but most of the time, she did not. She kept looking for a way to save a stranger's life...well, not exactly a stranger, not even an acquaintance, but probably a person she just saw, teased and passed by daily. And most of all, I really like Sam because she chose to do the right things during her last day, even if it meant losing her friends, social status, family, and love forever.

Oh come on, how could you not love Sam?

How about you, who's your favorite character and why?

Follow Friday(6) and Book Blogger Hop(5)

2010-08-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday here, but in some parts of the world, it must still be Friday, so yeah, I'm catching up with the Follow Friday meme (hosted by Parajunkee) and the Book Blogger hop (hosted by Crazy for Books)! I just can't survive a week without these two memes! It's a wonder how I even got to sleep yesterday without remembering that it's time for these two memes!

Now for this week's question - How many blogs do you follow?
A lot. Probably around a 100. I use Google Friend Connect so that updates appear straight to my dashboard so I don't really get to count how many.

How about you?

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver Review

2010-08-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publishing Date: March 2nd 2010
Book Details: Paperback, 341 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

"For Sam Kingston, life couldn't get any more perfect. She's popular, has awesome friends, has a boyfriend wanted by many and a perfect family life. She's content about life, even if her boyfriend isn't really "oh-so-perfect", that her popularity lies on being feared rather than being loved, and that she doesn't spend much time with her family. She thinks life is "okay", she didn't care if it changed or not at all! Until she meets her death - she starts to see life differently. She is given the chance to relive one day in her life for several days, and she starts to realize that everything is connected to each other, and that just one choice can change the outcome of everything."

Review Excerpt:

"The book did not fail to stun me for it's beauty in every way possible!"

How many times have you taken things for granted? Suddenly, when Sam Kingston dies, she realizes that her annoying sister is actually important to her, that her seemingly uncaring mom and dad do care, she just didn't put an effort to see how they did, and that her friends aren't as perfect as it seems. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is a very well-written novel. For a debut novel, it really is good, no, not just good, it's one of the best there is!

There has never been a book that has made my heart ache this much. I've always thought that reading books should be for the sake of entertainment only, and that it was never meant to influence how we look at life, or at least not this much. But Before I Fall did just what I did not expect.

Sam's voice was real, it was VERY real. She wasn't perfect, and she admitted that. She was a very strong character. Throughout the book, I began to love her more and more. I was like her, I believed that I would live forever - that there was no end to my life. I believed that when people pass away, they die just in that dimension, but are somehow alive at another...continuing with life. But it seems that this book was able to change how I feel about death.

Life is life. It is not permanent. Sometimes we have to lose something so important to us just to realize that some things we used to take for granted are beautiful, and that some things we thought weren't important, were after all, important.

I also admired Juliet with all the "secret keeping" she did for Lindsey. Lindsey was also a character I understood. She worked so hard to put up the "hey-i'm-miss-perfect" facade and that she was too confused to make the right choices. I felt sorry for Kent, because in the end, there could be no other ending to this story but a goodbye. Still, at least Sam was able to spill out her feelings and actually realize who she was and who she wanted to be.

I honestly wanted the story to end in a way that would make me feel relieved. I wanted to believe that maybe Sam was just in a coma or the story was all a dream of Sam's - but it was not, it was real. The story was too heartbreaking and yet too beautiful. I loved every single moment in the book!

I felt kind of sad that no matter what happened, Kent wouldn't remember how he'd been with Sam during the times that Sam relived her death/finale. But the most touching part for me must be when Sam spent quality time with Izzy. I think I felt a tear drop on my cheek. Another favorite of mine must be when Sam's mom suddenly kissed her on her forehead. The book did not fail to stun me for it's beauty in every way possible!

In My Mailbox (5)

2010-08-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren.

I only got a few books this week, but it's okay since I personally think that they're great and I have some books on my shelf that haven't been opened since the start of my finals up 'til now!

So I bought:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

I know that The Unbearable Lightness of Being isn't in the YA genre, but because I loved the show Gossip Girl so much, and there was this episode entitled "The Unblairable Lightness of Being" which was obviously named after the book, I Googled it up and thought that it was interesting. So here I am, reading it and enjoying it! It's a classical story of love and was written beautifully. Who else has enjoyed it? I'm still not finished with it, but it's quite addicting!

How about you, what's in your mailbox?

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin Review

2010-08-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Square Fish
Publishing Date: August 21st 2007
Book Details: Paperback, 310 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

Naomi Porter losses her memories when she falls of the stairs. She suddenly doesn't know anything. From her boyfriend Ace, her best friend Will and even her family matters - everything seems to be a blank! That's until she meets James, the guy who brings her to the hospital, and the guy that seems to understand. She thinks it's love, or is it? And what happens once her memories begin to return?

Review Excerpt:

"What I don't like about this story is that I think that the story wasn't able to "wow" me much at all! It didn't have the "This part struck me!" effect on me"

Memoirs of A Teenage Amnesiac was hard to read. I don't know why, but it took me 2 months to finish reading it. I'd read it whenever I had nothing left to read, but I never took the time to read it all in one sitting and devour it's contents fast!

But that is not to say that Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac was a bad book. 'Truth is it's kind of okay. What I don't like about this story is that I think that the story wasn't able to "wow" me much at all! It didn't have the "This part struck me!" effect on me.

The characters, if you ask me, were not so lovable, but a bit likable. I can't assure that the characters will stick with you, but I'm sure they'll visit your mind at least once in your lifetime. Natalie is an okay character, she's not so strong, 'won't inspire you that much, but at least, she's smart. James is too emo for my taste. I know he's been through a lot, but I still don't feel much pity for him. Will was an awesome bestfriend. He's the kind of guy you can tell your secrets to, phone at midnight, or practically any time of the day, stick with you at all times - but I think that he should've made more effort to make Naomi (and us!) remember or at least get a hint of what happened between them before she fell.But if there's one thing that made this book a bit better, it's the parts where Naomi's family situation is revealed to us. Her feelings, thoughts, and even her family were a bit inspiring. But yeah, I mentioned the word "bit", so you get the point.

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong Review

2010-08-13T03:10:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting so long to be able to talk about The Awakening (since the only person who I know that doesn't belong to the book blogosphere that reads YA books like me, does not like paranormal-themed books *sigh*)

This book is a sequel to the first book of the Darkest Powers Series #1 (The Summoning). DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST BOOK!!!

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publishing Date: May 1st 2009
Book Details: Hardcover, 368 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

Chloe Saunders is now locked up by the Edison Group thanks to Aunt Lauren. With Derek and Simon still on the run, the Edison Group is determined to capture them. In this book, Chloe finds an unexpected ally, Victoria Enright (a.k.a The Girl That Almost Killed Her) and escapes with her, reuniting with Simon and Derek. Now on the run, the four friends must find Simon's dad, to answer their questions - and to do that, they will have to face a lot of challenges. They cannot trust anyone, at least not anymore.

Review Excerpt:

"The writing style was also amazing! Hands down, there was never a time where the book was hard to read and was not exciting!"

I'd have to say that in the first book, to me, Tori was just a princess with family problems, and an over reacting one to be exact! But in this book, I got to know her and understand her. Nobody really knew her, not even her parents, not even her dad, no one! All they knew was that she had powers, and that those powers have to be controlled. Then I think she found Simon, a guy that's caring and sweet, someone who can fill the void in her, that's why she fell in love with him.

In this book, Tori is really keeping her feelings for Simon at bay. She doesn't show it much. Enough Tori though, let's talk about Simon.

Simon, really didn't stand out in this book, although I get the feeling that he was about to ask Chloe out but as you may have guessed (or read), Derek "suddenly" materialized out of nowhere. Simon is still the goody goody guy. Nothing has changed.

Rae? I don't want to talk about her much. She became a traitor. No, not really, she IS a traitor, ever since the beginning, and that's just crappy.

Now, on to our two main characters (or atleast I think so), Chloe and Derek! Chloe's still an amazing character, and she even comes off even more amazing in this book! I'm so glad that she hasn't given up on her passion for movies! I think she became stronger in this book, more rational, even! As for Derek, I'm so glad he's started opening up with us readers. Although I always have this problem of "Hmmm.. how do I picture Derek? I really can't picture him as ugly." Even Chloe told us that when he was young in a portrait and pimple free, he was worth a second look! Or maybe Derek isn't as ugly as how he was described in the first book... help me?

The cover as always, is, lovely and very suitable for the book. But I really think that the hands of the model were a little awkward.

The writing style was also amazing! Hands down, there was never a time where the book was hard to read and was not exciting!

Follow Friday(5) and Book Blog Hop! (4)

2010-08-13T02:47:00.000-07:00

Hola everyone! It's Follow Friday(hosted by Parajunkee) and Book Blogger Hop (hosted by Crazy for Books) day (so it means it's Friday!). 'Haven't been blogging for days/weeks now because of my finals, but I have good news, I just took my last exams a few hours ago, so I'm now free to read as much as I want again! (YAY!)

To answer this week's question: How many books do you have on your to-read shelf?

Aaahh, I have around 30 TBR books listed on my Goodreads account, but since I'm not really keeping track anymore (I prefer reading reviews of different bloggers then stopping by a bookstore and see whatever is available that catches my eye that has received a lot of good reviews)... so I really don't know :P

How about you?

So glad to be back! I've been keeping myself from reading books for a week or so now so I don't get tempted to pull out an all nighter reading instead of reviewing :P

In My Mailbox (4)

2010-08-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Yay! I now have 4 In My Mailbox entries!

Thanks to NetGalley, I received lots of good reads!
,
Hunger by Steve Brezenoff
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton
Wildthorn by Jane Eangland
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa
Ghost Huntress 4: The Counseling by Marley Gibson
The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan

These are books that I've bought:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
The Awakening (Darkest Powers #2) by Kelley Armstrong
The Secret Circle (The Secret Circle #1) by L.J. Smith

So no real pictures again, because I was..well, a bit lazy and busy this day. What about you, what did you get this week?

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa Review

2010-07-30T04:19:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publishing Date: August 1st 2010
Book Details: Paperback, 359 pages
Source: NetGalley
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review Excerpt:

Before I spoil anything, I will tell you this; you will surely never get bored at any part of the book!

I received my copy of The Iron Daughter through NetGalley, thank you so much!

Whoa, only two days away from the official release of The Iron Daughter, who's excited? EVERYONE IS!

As to prevent myself from spoiling to you what happens in The Iron Daughter, I will keep this review short and sweet!

For everyone that has read The Iron King and loved it, here's a sequel for you!

Beautiful cover, as always. I've always wondered who the model of The Iron King's cover is, because frankly, she's very beautiful! The cover looks regal and the colors that were used really did fit the theme of the story (as most of you know, The Iron Daughter focuses on Meghan Chase's adventure at the Winter fey kingdom).

Julie Kagawa never fails to surprise me. I had a report to finish yesterday but because I could not get my mind off The Iron Daughter and what's going to happen next, I had to cram, but no worries - no time is wasted when you enjoy wasting it! Enough said, The Iron Daughter will keep you up at night wanting for more! (I finished reading it in two sittings!). Also, this time, The Iron Daughter deals with "forbidden love" and two hot guys to choose from, which makes the book all the more interesting! Before I spoil anything, I will tell you this; you will surely never get bored at any part of the book!

Oh Leanansidhe, you are one bad-ass character! (Too bad she isn't a main character...well, maybe a bit "main character-ish" for this book) Leanansidhe is a newly introduced character in this book, and I'm sure you're going to love her when you encounter her in The Iron Daughter! You know what I love about The Iron Fey series? The characters are perfectly portrayed! Mab's portrayal was fabulous - she felt very real to me! Ash was as "icy" and as calculating as always - 'always keeping on the right side, while Puck is still the same funny, cute and cheerful character who can pull up punch lines out of any situation! Also, there's something new about Meghan Chase - and it's for you to find out! (Although I think Titania fans, if there are any, will be none too happy to hear that...she doesn't even have a line in this story, but fans of the evil queen will have Mab too compensate.) We are also introduced to the family of Ash, and mmhmmm, good looks must be running in their blood! (Oh my, I'm saying a lot, aren't I?)

So, will you be reading The Iron Daughter on August 1, 2010?

Follow Friday(4) and Book Blog Hop! (3)

2010-07-30T02:41:00.000-07:00

It's Friday, and it's time for Follow Friday (hosted by Parajunkee) and the Book Blog Hop (hosted by Crazy for Books)! Thank God It's Friday, more book blogs to discover (and books too!) YAY!!!

QUESTION: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE NEW-TO-YOU AUTHOR SO FAR THIS YEAR?

It's good that this question has "so far" in it (because there are so many good authors around that I have yet to discover)!

It's probably Julie Kagawa for me. I've read The Iron King last summer (err, summer here in the Philippines is during March, April and May) - and it's the best book I have devoured so far this year! Right now, I'm reading The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa too (Thank you, NetGalley!) and will write a review for it later!

Oh boy, I think I sound like a Julie Kagawa fangirl already, no? But yes, I really am a BIG FAN of Julie Kagawa, NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT!

Beastly by Alex Flinn Review

2010-07-28T02:46:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰
Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: October 1st 2007 Book Details: Paperback, 336 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and h...more I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.

Review Excerpt:

"One thing that I can guarantee you is this; Alex Flinn's smart ways of taking the Beast to New York city and making the beast into a teenager, will keep you entertained for hours! No kidding!"

Beastly is basically a "Beauty and the Beast" spin-off, the only differences are; a) The main protagonist (Kyle Kingsbury) is in highschool (and basically almost all characters), b) The female lead's (Linda Owens') father is not much of a good father but is also a "crazy" father just like Belle's father (no more spoilers, I promise!) c.) The story is being told from the Beast's perspective d.) The setting takes place in New York city, and you get the point.

Okay, there may be more differences between the Beastly of Alex Flinn and the Beauty and the Beast classic, but I'm not going to mention more, as that would give away the book's premises. One thing that I can guarantee you is this; Alex Flinn's smart ways of taking the Beast to New York city and making the beast into a teenager, will keep you entertained for hours! No kidding!

Err... the cover, while I was at the bookstore, made me think that "Whoa! This one is sure to be a serious read..one where there's macabre...bits of horror...blood!", but nah, that's not the thing here. This one is a light, sweet, and funny book. But the book's cover was splendid although a bit misleading. I have to admit that I really fell in love with the "Beastly" title font. The color palette used was great too, but it could have done better (by adding more color, or at least that's just what I think!). Still, good job to the cover artist!

There's nothing special about the plot. If you've read Beauty and the Beast, I'm pretty sure you can guess what' going to happen next - except that there will ALWAYS be twists about how things will happen! The story was beautifully translated from the classic to the YA genre!

We see a transition of the arrogant Kyle Kingsbury to the kind, gentle and romantic Adrian King (you will understand me later, if you read the book, or maybe watch the movie that's coming out soon, which I will talk about later). The way Kyle Kingsbury was put into life by Alex Flinn was fantastic! He felt so realistic, and he can be understood easily (with his family's background, his status in school and the things about him). He was built up well! Not to mention that the other characters; Linda Owens, Will and Magda also had been introduced well! I personally like how Magda speaks in the book, she reminds me of Dorotha from Gossip Girl. What makes this a truly refreshing read is Kyle Kingsbury. Hail to him (and to Alex Flinn who created him)!

In addition to the review (and since I loved the book so much!), I just want to tell everyone about the upcoming movie version of the book. Here's the trailer:

I'm excited for the movie! Who else is?

In My Mailbox (3)

2010-07-25T04:13:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday,and it's time for - In My Mailbox! This meme is hosted by The Story Siren.

I did not get a lot of books this week due to; a) My busy schedule, b) I still have a lot of books sitting around that I still haven't read c) The book I want to own most is still not out in stores here in my country, and that book is a.k.a Linger by Maggie Stiefvater!

What I said about me totally not having enough time to read this week is true! I have this polyhedron origami to finish and I have to force myself to recycle something for a project.. Plus, if that's not bad enough - I still have to study for my finals!

Anyway. enough ranting about real life, here's what I got this week. (Sorry, no real pictures because I have been very busy, or rather lazy)

Bought:
- Beastly by Alex Flinn (The movie's coming up! I better read it FAST!)
- Tantalize by Cynthia Leititch Smith (a friend sold me this)

How about you, what did you get this week?

Follow Friday and Book Blog Hop! (3)

2010-07-23T04:03:00.000-07:00

TGIF! And it's time for...The Book Blogger hop and Follow Friday! The Book Blogger hop is hosted by Crazy for Books. Click the image above for the Book Blogger hop meme page!

So what about the book I'm currently reading?

I'm currently reading Kelley Armstrong's "The Summoning", and I have to say that it's a really great read! At first I thought I wouldn't like it at all when I got the book because "horror" types of books aren't really my type (I consider this one horror, sorry!) - but I was wrong! It's a rocking read! I'm going to be writing a review about it once I finish!

How about you? What can you say about the book that you're currently reading?

A Child's Imagination

2010-07-22T06:13:00.001-07:00

I wonder what it is that makes us lose our imagination as we grow older...

My two-year old brother says that this:

...is a dog.

(and he put it together himself out of several pieces of laundry clip, or whatever you call it)

I remember myself playing alone as I did not have any sibling to play with when I was younger. I had to imagine things, like for example; that there is a castle on my bed, an imaginary prince waiting for me (Yes, I'm guilty of trying to imagine people when I was younger!) and the big T-shirts were a princess' ball gown. I know! Sounds crazy, right?

I tried playing alone the way I used to a few weeks ago, and I could not bring myself to play the same way again. I remember having so much fun playing before, but why not now?

We're all ashamed of being little children in front of other people, but I think that sometimes, being a child and having a child's imagination is good too!

I really wonder what happened to my imagination.... hmm, how about you? Do you think you can still play the same way you did when you were a kid?

The Forbidden Game by LJ Smith Review

2010-07-18T02:14:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰
Author: L.J. Smith
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publishing Date: June 8th 2010
Book Details: Paperback, 750 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

He's playing with her heart - and her life.

When Jenny buys a game for her boyfriend, Tom, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the guy behind the counter. There is something mysteriously alluring about Julian's pale eyes and bleached-blond hair. And when he places the Game into her hands, she knows their connection is something deeper.

But as Jenny and her friends begin to play the game at Tom's birthday celebration, a night of friends and fun quickly turns into a night of terror and obsessive love. Because the Game isn't just a game - it's the seven friends' new reality, where Julian reigns as the Prince of the Shadows.

One by one, the friends must confront their phobias to win the Game. To lose the Game is to lose their lives. And that is only the beginning...

Review Excerpt:

"I enjoyed reading the book a lot! And if not for some boring parts of the book, it would have been perfect!"

For a very long read (750 pages), The Forbidden Game's ending was quite good, no, not just quite good, it's probably the best ending for the story.

The characters were all lovable, and most of them really stay with you (like Julian and Jenny). LJ Smith did a great job on introducing each character to us by showing us each character's fear and bits of what they love and their pasts. I really can't say that there was a character introduced in this book that the book could do without. Each one of them, (even P.C and Slug) served their purpose greatly. They helped build up the story more and made it even more enjoyable!

It's a very good book about real love. In the book you will see how each character's perspective about life and love changes, and all these changes are good. The characters in the book become so real that you cannot put the book down for long! Just seeing the book on top of my bed's end table tempts me to read for long hours! Trust me, this book will keep you up until midnight!

Some main points I would like to emphasize about my feelings toward this book are;

Because it is a very long read, some parts were a bit boring. At some parts, I decided to just skim it for valuable information needed to understand the other parts of the book, and if I found none, I moved on to the next page, and so on and so on...
At first, having to read Book Three to me was a pain. It's because I thought that everything should have just ended up during Book Two, but yes, I was proved wrong.
The book does not have an open ending, and therefore, I can conclude that this is pretty much the last book, no more sequels. But if there will be one - I would be very glad to read it!
Jenny, the main character, kind of resembles the typical "I'm so torn between the two of them and I want them both" female lead involved in a love triangle. But to justify her a bit, she's stronger than most females of the genre, and smart too! She's not just your typical damsel in distress, because she can save herself!
At first, Julian's character will come of as annoying because he shows an obsessive and possessive kind of love for Jenny, but during Book Three (and most especially the ending which I vowed not to spoil), you will realize how much his character changes - and you will probably end up liking him more than Tom as I did.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the book a lot! And if not for some boring parts of the book, it would have been perfect! Also, during The Hunter and The Chase, the plot felt repetitive because of the same "Hunter outsmarts prey" scenarios. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, fiction, adventure, horror, and romance.

One last sentence to tell you how I feel about this book: "Hello LJ Smith, you are a genius!"

Follow Friday and Book Blog Hop!

2010-07-16T03:12:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again! T.G.I.F! Know what I look forward to every Friday? Simple! A chance to get 8 hours of sleep! Nah, just kidding (half true, though!). I look forward to a lot of things, but on the top of my list is Follow Friday (hosted by Parajunkee)!

But today, I'm trying out something new, I'm joining the Book Blogger hop! This amazing meme is hosted by Crazy For Books! Come join!

So to answer Book Blogger hop's question, I am waiting for a loooooot of books, but here are a few that I totally lust for right now;

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (The first two books were so awesome!)
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt (Up to now, I still can't move on from the awesomeness of Two-Way Street!)
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel (Way too interesting to pass!)

How about you? What books are you looking forward to get your paws on? Have a good weekend, everyone!

Teaser Tuesday (1)

2010-07-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"It was the boy in black, the boy from the game store. The boy with the shocking blue eyes."
- L.J Smith, The Forbidden Game p. 45

How about you? Have you participated in the Teaser Tuesday meme yet? I'm having so much fun reading entries! (Oh, and I'm also having a lot of fun reading The Forbidden Game by L.J Smith, by the way!)

In My Mailbox (2)

2010-07-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

Hola everyone! In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. Have you joined the meme yet?

So this week, I went on a book shopping trip, and guess what, I found all these books on a book sale! I got each of them for less than (some more than)3$! Isn't that a steal? Don't you just love book sales?

Anyway, here's what I got:

Rumors (A Luxe Novel) by Anna Godbersen
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan
The Secret Circle #2 by LJ Smith
The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1) by Kelley Armstrong
Vampire Kisses: The Beginning by Ellen Schreiber

How about you, what did you get this week?

"Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala Cover Contest!

2010-07-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

Princess Bookie is having a recreate-a-cover contest! The contest link is here.

(I'm sorry for submitting in the Linky twice, I linked my first linky to my blog instead of here, so sorry! It won't happen again!)

Here's my cover:

Goodluck to everyone who entered!

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Review

2010-07-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

Total Rating: ✰✰✰✰

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Publishing Date: September 27th 2009
Book Details: Paperback, 391 pages
Source: Bought
Visit Goodreads Page

Brief Summary:

"For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review Excerpt:

"This book is a mixture of dark, mysterious, romantic, and cute elements, and the good news is, they all blend well together!"

People have been telling me that Hush, Hush is quite similar to the Twilight Saga, ; that it's just another retelling of the "predator-prey" relationship Edward Cullen and Bella Swan has. But to be very truthful, I did not notice a lot of similarities between the two, except that Patch can somehow also be considered a predator to Nora Grey."

I liked the twists and turns of this book and the amount of curiosity it is able to bring out in me (about who is hurting Nora and why). This book has just the right amount of dark mystery surrounding you enough to keep you up all night reading it! Becca Fitzpatrick does not fail to add romantic elements to the story (mmmm, handsome, mysterious, hunk with a dark past, who can resist bad boys?) and makes use of the Chekhov's gun (Look it's meaning up on Wikipedia, if you want) very well!

During the first chapters, I did not get very well how Chauncey is supposed to be related in the story, until the revelation of what Patch really was. The story was unique in some ways, but it cannot be considered a totally new concept to young adult fiction books. I guess what makes the book so exciting to read is that almost everyone has dark mystery surrounding them, and that sometimes, the people who the author shows less focus to, can become a big part of the story!

This book is a mixture of dark, mysterious, romantic, and cute elements, and the good news is, they all blend well together!

For the people who have already read Hush, Hush, what did you think about the book? Will you still read it's second book, Crescendo?

And for those who still haven't read the book, do you plan to read it soon?

Friday Fill-ins! (1)

2010-07-09T03:09:00.000-07:00

This is my first Friday Fill-in post! (This week was full of "firsts" for me!) Hope I'm doing things right!

1. Layers of skin.

2. Crooked insight.

3. I'd be willing to bet on Germany for third place on Fifa.

4. Nothing scares the dog.

5. I'm fond of everything that looks fun

6. I change my hobbies too much!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finish Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, tomorrow my plans include going to Church and Sunday, I want to prepare for Monday - or should I say, "stress day"!

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

2010-07-07T02:24:00.000-07:00

Hello! Here's my first Waiting on Wednesday post, and the problem is I don't know at all who started this, so if ever you know who did, do tell me and I'll put up his/her link here!

So what am I waiting for?

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date to be published: Published July 13th 2010

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves...and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love--the light and the dark, the warm and the cold--in a way you will never forget.

Why I'm excited for Linger:

I'm a big fan of the first book, Shiver, so I am definitely getting this! Plus, *spoiler* I'd like to find out what happens after Sam became human *spoiler*. This is the first book I've read that focuses mainly on wolves, and at first I thought that I wouldn't like it since I'm not so much into wolves, but in the end, I loved the book!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date to be published: August 24th 2010

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

Why I'm excited for Mockingjay:

My favorite series in the world must be Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy so far! I devoured the previous two books in just a weeks time even though I was fairly busy during that week (If I remember correctly, I was taking my quarterly exams that time). It's quite sad that this is the last book of the series, well, to be honest, not just "quite" sad, but REALLY sad to see this series end. In fact, the first book of the series was the only book that my guy friend liked a lot (besides the Twilight Saga...)! Oh, are you in Team Peeta or Team Gale? I, for sure, am for TEAM PEETA!

One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Date to be published: July 6th 2010

Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper.

Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one night to complete the most humiliating tasks on her list or they’ll p

ost her secrets online—including the ones that aren’t just about her.

Eliza’s sure of only one thing: she isn’t going down without a fight. Cooper may have what’s left of her dignity, but she’s not the only one with something to hide …

Why I'm excited for One Night That Changes Everything:

I am a fan of Lauren Barnholdt's "Two-Way Street" and having been recommending her book to anyone going to road trips and looking for light, funny and romantic reads. I felt a bit disappointed when I looked Lauren up on Goodreads and found that none of her other published books are to my tastes, until I saw this book and felt relieved! I'm looking forward to this book and have VERY high hopes for it, so Lauren, please, don't let me down!

So there, those are the three books I am anxiously waiting for, how about you, what books are you looking forward to?

New Layout!

2010-07-06T02:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's not yet done, but at least it's a step up from my previous layout.

From this:
To this:
And if it's not obvious, I used the Minima theme as base. Thanks a lot to it's creator whom I still do not know who he/she is (Sorry!). This theme is seriously plain and lacking, so expect me to tweek a few things here and there in the coming days (don't be surprised if the site would look weird!)

So, what do you think about the new layout? I know it's not much but still, it's my first Blogger layout, and I'm pretty pleased about it!

E-Book Challenge 2010!

2010-07-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hola everyone! I've started on participating at this challenge. It's being hosted by Alaine Reading and previously hosted by The Royal Reviews, come join! It looks fun and I've personally enjoyed a few books in the E Book format (Wicked Lovely, Iron King, Two-Way Street etc.).

How about giving it a try too? The link to the challenge is here: CLICK!

This is my first challenge so I'm really excited and ecstatic about it! Don't you just love challenges?

- - - - -

Challenge Guidelines:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

-- Curious – Read 3 E-Books.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 E-Books.

-- Addicted – Read 12 E-Books.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 E-Books.

3. Any genre counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

- - - - - -

Progress:
Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy#1)
The Iron King
Two-Way Street
Wicked Lovely
I Kissed A Zombie and I Liked It
Eternal (Tantalize #2)
The Secret
To Catch A Pirate
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
Sweethearts
The Fury (Vampire Diaries #3)
The Struggle (Vampire Diaries #2)
The Awakening (Vampire Diaries #1)
Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

In My Mailbox (1)

2010-07-04T06:58:00.001-07:00

It's my first time to try this meme. This meme is by The Story Siren. Thanks!

Here are two books I recently got.

I bought Hush, Hush a week or two ago and still haven't gotten to finishing it (busy schedules and all), but as a mini-review, I can say that it's pretty good, and that Patch's personality is great!

I randomly picked up The Forbidden Game a while ago at the National Bookstore (most famous bookstore here in the Philippines) as I was buying school supplies for tomorrow (Why is Monday so far from Friday and Friday so near to Monday?!). Being a fan of L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries (and the TV show too!), I thought I'd try this book.

Oh wow, I really hope I get less busy this week and get better grades! I really want to finish Hush, Hush already, so I can go on a guiltless book shopping trip!

P.S Hush Hush's paperback version has this great textur-y, 3D feeling! Or is it just me?

The Twilight Saga: Why it's hated and how Eclipse went

2010-07-03T00:59:00.000-07:00

Who wouldn't forget that just a few years ago (2 years, to be exact) , I first started reading Twilight, then read New Moon, then read Eclipse and then read Breaking Dawn; where it all ended?

I'm going to be honest with all of you, I've loved reading as a child, but after I finished the Twilight Saga, I rekindled my old love for books, and thus returned to being a bibliophile. In shorter terms, It's the Twilight Saga that brought back my old love for books.

A lot of people find the Twilight Saga "crappy", but I do think that it's a great young adult book. People say they hate it for the following reasons:

1.) That the Twilight Saga completely adds new stuff about vampires, thus changing what vampires really are. (With all due respect to you guys, I firmly believe that an author can do whatever she likes with her book, after all, what's written in books are but brain children of the author - fragments of their imagination, per se.)

2.) That Stephenie Meyer was unoriginal. (Vampires are common mythical figures and have many books about them. Besides, if it was unoriginal, where did you hear about sparkling vampires?)

3.) That Edward Cullen is a romance-loving vampire that will never exist anywhere, and that his only purpose of existence is not Bella, but to fulfill every girl's dream about men in relationships. (It's not Stephenie's fault that you're being so bitter about not finding a guy who's Edward Cullen-like. It is most especially not Stephenie's fault that girls dream of Edward Cullen, because she did not create Edward Cullen to be with any other girl but Bella Swan. Sorry for breaking it to you.)

...and there are more reasons than my fingers can count on why people hate the Twilight Saga so much.

So today me and my friends watched "Eclipse" - the third installment of the Twilight Saga movie series. It was definitely better than the previous two movies. There were more funny lines (i.e. Jacob's "I'm hotter than you") and more funny scenes like Bella breaking her hand by punching Jacob. Eclipse didn't lack action either. It was not bad at all!

I liked the film a lot, but can't say I loved it. How about you guys, did you watch the movie already? How did you feel about it?

Reading Habits Meme

2010-05-14T04:41:00.000-07:00

This is the first meme I've ever done in my life so I hope I did it just right. It's a meme by WordForTeens.com, an awesome blog that I recently followed. Thank you, WordForTeens.com, I had an amazing time doing this meme!

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:
No, I don't like getting my books dirty.

What is your favourite drink while reading?
Coffee or Hot Chocolate works fine. But Starbucks' Strawberries and Cream frappe is always better!

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I have bookmarks for that. And yes, the idea of writing in books horrify me.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I use a bookmark. It makes it easier to find and more appropriate to look at.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
I prefer fiction. I like exploring other worlds, and I have real-life to experience non-fiction stuff anyway.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I always read at the end of the chapter. That way, if ever my bookmark falls, It will be easier to find.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
No. I'm not that violent.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
No, I ignore it. And if it does manage to stay on my mind, I look it up whenever I have nothing else to do.

What are you currently reading?
Hunger by Alethea Eason

What is the last book you bought?
Hunger, by Alethea Eason, too.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I read more than one if I feel bored with the first book I read, but when I am focused on only one book, that means it's really good!

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?
Sure, I love reading on my bed, even though people tell me not to read on my bed because it can affect my eyesight. I just love it.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I like stand alones better. I have a short attention span, so that must explain why.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
I always will recommend people to read "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, and even "Everafter" by Amy Huntley.

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)
The truth is, I don't. Haha. Well, atleast not yet, but I plan to, sometime after I get a good book shelf or find a stable place for my books instead of randomly putting them in different drawers at home.

"Ghosts of the Girlfriend's Past" Movie Review

2010-05-11T02:00:00.001-07:00

What do you do when you've got one too many girlfriends and can't handle them all? Set up a voice conference with all of them and break up in bulk!

Meet Connor Mead (played by Matthew McConaughey), famed photographer at day, playboy all day.

In the beginning of the movie, we see a Connor Mead at work. Whoever set the rule "Do not mix pleasure with work" has certainly not lived Connor Mead's life; after a photoshoot session with a model, they end up having sex. Then, his secretary Melanie (played by Noureen DeWulf) interrupts his "extracurricular activities" to remind him of his brother's wedding and to tell him to answer three of his girlfriends' calls - so he sets up a Voice Conference with all three of them due to his lack of time, that's a real "gentleman" thing to do, don't you think? Afterwards, we see Connor heading to his little brother's wedding rehearsal.

The sister-in-law and Connor's "kid" brother as he calls him..

He tries to talk his brother into canceling the wedding. He tells him of the different cons of marriage and how love doesn't exist. But what does his little brother Paul (played by Brekin Meyer) say? Of course, he says that he really loves Sandra (played by Lacey Chabert), and decides that he doesn't want to back out of the marriage.

Our Conner, not really understanding "love", decides to try and "endure" the wedding party, but he just really can't! So he tries and messes up the party in all ways thinkable, and that's where hilarity ensues! I won't spoil much of how he does it, but the movie gives us some really fine quotes to keep in our heads about love by Conner.

...but, behind every playboy is a girl who made him one. Meet Uncle Wayne(played by Michael Douglas), the guy who thought Conner everything he knows about girls when Conner suffered a heartbreak after seeing Jenny Perotti (played by Jennifer Garner) dance and make out with a boy from middle school during Spring Dance.

Young Jenny Perotti looks like Garner, but I don't think young Conner Mead looks like McConaughey)

Why is little Conner so heartbroken? Well, that's because she and Jenny have been "kind-of-lovers" since childhood.

So what makes this story funny? Well, it's the ghost of Conner's past girlfriend, Allison (played by Emma Stone). She's pretty much one of the people who contributes most to the movie's comedic factor. Here's a picture of her in the movie;

There will be 3 girlfriends from which Conner will get a tour from. They are the past, present, and future girlfriends of his. I will not spoil the two others anymore, but they both did an incredible job portraying their roles.

The movie is a heartbreaking yet funny story of two childhood friends and lovers with one of them going astray and becoming a "player", from which of course, the story takes it's plot. It's a great movie, in my opinion, if you like movies with almost the same story with "Just Like Friends". It's a good rom-com, but the storyline is very common.

"How To Train Your Dragon" Movie Review

2010-05-09T04:58:00.001-07:00

As usual, I, a person deeply in love with anything fantasy, will watch ANY, really, ANY fantasy movie with interesting plot - BUT don't let that make you think that I'm gonna be biased on this one, because honestly, I am not the type of person who will watch an animated film, even though it is a fantasy movie. Frankly, it's quite a miracle that I even gave this one a chance!

So what's this film all about? Is it like all other Disney movies that come with a happy ending? Well yes, it is. But like other Disney animated movies, this one, too, will give you some sort of "warm and fuzzy" feeling.

Ever heard of one Disney's animated films - "Chicken Little"? Then, I'm going to start by telling you that if you watched that film, well, you should already know what to expect in this one. Below average, sort of a dimwit, widely disliked protagonist; that's EXACTLY what Hiccup, our protagonist, was. That's until he catches and meets the Dragon, Night Fury, who, with some sort of luck, he manages to catch during one all-out session of war with the dragons in the island of the Vikings. So he catches the dragon, and he instantly becomes a hero? Well, no. He has three problems as to why he did not instantly become a hero - one, no one believes him because all he's done his whole life was full of mishaps, two, he DOESN'T capable of catching one, he doesn't even know how to use weapons to catch a dragon, and three, he has no proof and idea as to where the Night Fury dragon he caught is!

As everyone would have guessed, he DID find the dragon after five minutes or so of the movie. While his supposed goal is to kill the dragon, he does not (C'mon! If he did, then what would be the point of the story's title?). So he ends up freeing the dragon and visiting it regularly. He makes a "connection" with the dragon and yada yada... then BOOM! He finds out that there's something weird about the dragon. The reason that the dragon couldn't fly away is because one of it's wings were removed during the last all-out session of war with the dragons where the Night Fury was caught by our hero.

Luckily, our hero here, is able to build "mechanical wings" for our sidekick - and that's when their friendship starts to blossom. Ofcourse, friends with the Night Fury (or Toothless, as Hiccup named him) or not, Hiccups still has a duty to his race to exterminate dragons, which is the main dilemma of the story. I won't go further as to what happens next, but I can assure you that it's a cute, heart warming movie families should watch.

In case you were wondering about how good the animation and 3D effects are, I can pretty much assure you that it has outstanding graphics, especially those scenes which take place up in the sky. Although I must warn you that this film is not the most original brain child ever made - as I said in the beginning, it's the typical "from zero to hero" story.

So lately, Iron Man 2 made me...

2010-05-06T01:58:00.000-07:00

*NOTE: I'm saying this before you assume that it's an Iron Man 2 movie review - no, IT'S NOT. It's a Supergirl v5 Comic review.

Iron Man 2 Movie Poster

...a crazed comic fan. Uh-oh, another new hobby of mine has been awakened! Sure, I've read some comics back when I was seven or six, like Archie, Richie Rich, and Looney Tunes ones, but none as intense as the comic series that I've been recently reading (for two days straight now), Supergirl v5!

A Supergirl v5 Cover

Right, so this is what took 48 hours of my life. So what's the story? First, I thought that she was some kind of Superman's love interests - but I was wrong, I was DEAD wrong. Although she really is in fact related to Superman, she IS his cousin.

So who's "Supergirl"? She's the cousin of Superman, obviously, she also came from Krypton, sent to Earth the same way Superman was, and she also has the same tragic story - her family sends her off to some planet alone to take care of a baby Superman (which much to her chagrin was now an adult once she landed to Earth), she had no more family left, everyone she knew died, she's all alone now and yada yada. I think you know the drill now for superheroes like her, they have this terrible past and will fight for "justice".

Our protagonist's name is Kara Zor El, she crash landed on Earth in search of her cousin, Superman. Her real mission was to search for him and kind of "babysit" him, as he was supposed to be a baby during her time of arrival, but as she arrives, she is surprised to find an all-grown (even much older looking than her!) Superman. But of course, what is she to do now that Superman is no more a "Superbaby"? She searches for her past of course! A past that has become blurry in her memory, to be exact. And that's where the dilemmas enter, as no one knows who exactly she is, not even her, she begins to question what really is her point of existence, and what were the meaning of her father's last words before sending her off?

Along the way, our protagonist faces varieties of antagonists, love interests and powerful peers. She also struggles to fit in on her new world, find her roots, and prove herself to the world that she is not only a cousin of the infamous Superman, but she is also her own self, the Supergirl.

So what can I say about the comic series? It's a great read and all, but it can get confusing sometimes because of arcs in between that don't relate at all in the story. It has not much sense of humor and to be honest, there is not much of a personality to be seen in Supergirl (unlike Iron Man, who is VERY charismatic). But I guess the reason that I'm still reading the series even though I have seen a few of it's cons is that the series shows promise, especially as Supergirl begins to evolve into a better heroine and starts to realize many things. I must say, her character really improves a lot on the later issues of the series, and that's what's make this series good -it gives us more to look forward to!