Cinder (a review)

Synopsis: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

Review: I don't really know where to begin with this review. I heard such great things about this book but was never compelled to by it when I'd see it in the bookstore. And then I found copies on the bargain table for $4.99 and decided to give it a shot.

I've been big on fairy tale retellings since I read Sisters Red and Sweetly by Jackson Pearce and Beastly by Alex Flinn. Even though I knew the older versions of those stories, the author managed to keep me engaged and guessing with different twists added to the story. Although Cinder has quite a big twist: she is a cyborg, there were no interesting elements to the plot that kept me wanting to read. I put the book down many times and struggled to pick it up again. I had some instances where I would try to guess what would happen. Even though I was on the right track, I felt that it was all anti-climactic. I will pick up part two, which is due next February only because we are left on a cliff hanger at the end of this book. I am hoping that the second book packs the punch that this one did not have.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (a review)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith

Synopsis: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.  


Review: Wow! I absolutely loved loved loved this book!! I read reviews about this book a few months ago, and although I was intrigued, I was worried that it would just be another cute story with no real substance. For a story spanning only 24 hours, it really had depth. I related to Hadley and her feelings on so many situations that were brought up in this short story. Oliver was swoon worthy and I fell for him the second he appeared in the story. This is definitely a sweet well thought out story that does not disappoint!


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Selection (a review)

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Synopsis: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. 

Review: When I first saw this book, I told myself that I would never pick it up. Neither the cover nor the synopsis caught my attention. I then saw some great reviews about this book on both Goodreads and YouTube and decided to give this book another shot. I am definitely happy I did. The best way to describe this book is that it is The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor, although there seems to be more elements of the latter present. I compare it to The Hunger Games for a few reasons. The main character, America, reminds me a lot of Katniss. Her younger sister also reminds me of the relationship Katniss and her younger sister had. Like in The Hunger Games, where people live in districts, in this book people live according to caste. Their jobs and homes are all based on which caste they fall into (1 being royalty and 8 being poorest). America is also thrown into a competition where only one will be winner at the end. This is where the similarities to The Hunger Games ends. 

The story is centered around the competition between thirty-five girls to win the heart of Prince Maxon. Unlike The Bachelor, America goes into this competition knowing that she does not want to win the Prince's heart. She agrees to compete because it will mean helping her family out back home. America is fiesty, speaks her own mind and is the most original out of all the contestants. She enters the competition with a broken heart, having just been dumped by her boyfriend back home and wants nothing to do with romance. But she does begin to develop a friendship with the prince. You find yourself rooting for her to fall in love with the prince as their friendship begins to grow. And then the book ends abruptly. I did not expect it to end so suddenly with so many unanswered questions. I loved this story and hate the fact that I have to wait until next year to find out what happens.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Revived (a review)

Revived by Cat Patrick

Synopsis: As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.
A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency's true goals, she realizes she's at the center of something much larger -- and more sinister -- than she ever imagined.

Review: I went into this book thinking that it was a dystopian. Maybe I have been reading too many dystopian books and now expect most of the YA books I read to be dystopian.

I would describe this book as a contemporary with a sci-fi twist. I really enjoyed it. It was very quick paced and hard to put down. It makes you wonder what life would be like if there really was a drug that could bring people back from the dead. You get to know and love Daisy and feel everything she goes to through the novel. From confusion, to loss, to love, to betrayal, Daisy comes to an understanding of this Revive program and the implications it has. Although this book is not a heavy read, it has layers and is deeper than the synopsis makes it out to be.

Patrick has a lovely way of writing that truly allows you to experience everything the characters are going through in this novel. A definite must read!


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Perception (a review)

Perception by Kim Harrington

Synopsis: When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?
Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.
Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.
But then someone starts playing with her head... and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?
One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared. Clare needs to see her way to the truth—before it's much too late.

Review: I loved this book! I was worried that this book would suffer from the sequel syndrome meaning that it would not come close to the first in the series. But I actually think I enjoyed this one more than Clarity. This book allowed for a lot more character development. Like in most YA novels there was a love triangle but I am very very happy with it was resolved. I don't know if there will be other books in this series. I really hope she continues. I would love to spend some more time with these characters. Part of me feels as though there may not be anymore books to come in this series because many of the loose ends that we were left with in the first book are tied up in this one. One can only wish. This is a must read!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

More Frequent Book Posts

It's finally summer holidays for me. Part of me feels like this school year was super long and another part of me feels as though I only started teaching yesterday. I will miss my students so much (especially those graduating), but am definitely looking forward to two months of down time. Since I am off for these next two months, I thought that I would focus more on posts about books. This means that I won't be sticking to my regular themed posts. I am so behind on my book challenge (I am 11 books behind). So I am taking these two months to do some major reading catch up.
Today I finished my first read of July:

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Synopsis: Don't close your eyes. Except when the truth is too dark to bear.
Clarity
"Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like
stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a
certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.
And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to
help solve the case -- but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk.
Then Clare's brother -- who has supernatural gifts of his own -- becomes
the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with
Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture
into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer.
But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Review: I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Last year I read a book The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June, which is about three sisters who each have special psychic powers. I really really had a hard time finishing that book even though it was a pretty short read. So when I read the synopsis of Clarity, I was immediately reminded of that book. I was worried that I would not enjoy it, that it would take me forever to read and that I would have once again wasted my money on a book I did not enjoy.
I was hooked from the first page and had a hard time putting it down. This book is quick paced and fun to read. It lacks some depth in terms of character development but it is definitely an enjoyable and quick summer read. I thought I had the murderer figured out early on but there was a twist that I did not expect. I love when I am proven wrong in these mystery type books.
I am starting the second book in the series Perception and am really looking forward to seeing what happens next in the lives of Clare (Clarity), her family and friends.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in
school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden
visions from the past.
Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head... and heart. Messages
and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could
they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or
from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her
back?
One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery,
and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town
has suddenly disappeared. Clare needs to see her way to the
truth—before it's much too late.

Next on my list to be read this week:

Revived by Cat Patrick

Synopsis:
As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.
A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can
bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has
been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary
risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a
new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy
begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she
discovers the agency's true goals, she realizes she's at the center of
something much larger -- and more sinister -- than she ever imagined.


Look for reviews of Perception and Revived later this week!

 

**all synopsis from Amazon.com

Monday Reads: a review, kobo and a new book

11th Hour by James Patterson

Review: This weekend I finished James Patterson's 11th installment in the Women's Murder Club mystery books. I have read each and every one of this series and have been enjoying them. I can't say that after 11 books that they still have that "wow" factor. The formula is getting to be repetitive. I can usually guess within the first half of the book who the bad guy is. With mystery novels I like there to be some kind of twist that I was not expecting. The last few books in the series have been lacking that. Why do I keep reading them? I love the four main characters who make up the Women's Murder Club. I feel like they are close friends of mine and that I have grown with them. I have stopped reading the books for the mystery aspect and I now read them to get to spend more time with some of my favourite characters. If you have been following this series, I would pick this book up. If you have never read any of these books, start with the first and read a few. The first five books in the series were fantastic!

This weekend I also bought a kobo! I have had a Sony ereader for quite a while now but it's been dying on me. After sending it for repair, the battery still drains super fast. I have been searching for a new ereader for a while but wasn't desperate to get one since I often read on my iPad. The kobo was on sale this weekend for $89 so I HAD to pick one up. I read one book and started another on my new ereader and am loving it. A bonus? It has wifi so I can download books on the go. And also, my eyes are not straining after a few hours of reading. Loving it!

The book pictured on my kobo is the one I just started yesterday. So far I am really enjoying it and ended up staying up til 1am reading it. Of course anything set in NYC will attract my attention. The fact that it's short love stories about people who met and fell in love in NYC is what sold me on this book!

Heart of the City by Ariel Sabar

Synopsis: The handsome Texas sailor who offers dinner to a runaway in Central Park. The Midwestern college girl who stops a cop in Times Square for restaurant advice. The Brooklyn man on a midnight subway who helps a weary tourist find her way to Chinatown. The Columbia University graduate student who encounters an unexpected object of beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A public place in the world's greatest city. A chance meeting of strangers. A marriage. Heart of the City tells the remarkable true stories of nine ordinary couples--from the 1940s to the present--whose matchmaker was the City of New York. Intrigued by the romance of his own parents, who met in Washington Square Park, award-winning author Ariel Sabar set off on a far-ranging search for other couples who married after first meeting in one of New York City's iconic public spaces. Sabar conjures their big-city love stories in novel-like detail, drawing us into the hearts of strangers just as their lives are about to change forever. In setting the stage for these surprising, funny and moving tales, Sabar, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, offers a fascinating look at the role of place in how--and whether--people meet and fall in love. Heart of the City is a paean to the physical city as matchmaker, a tribute to the power of chance, and an eloquent reminder of why we must care about the design of urban spaces.

Monday Reads: Insurgent (review)

I just finished reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth. All I can say is WOW! Usually in a series I find that the second book tends to be a bit slower paced than the first but this one was action packed from the very first page and never slowed down. I was barely able to put it down. This book brought out so many emotions. I was angry, frustrated, relieved, happy, sad...It was a roller coaster ride of emotions from beginning to end. The book starts off from where the first book ended. There is no time lapse between the two books. This also means that Roth does not take any time to recap what happened in the first book. So it is best to read Divergent again before starting this one if you`re having trouble remembering any of the details. I re-read Divergent and then jumped straight into Insurgent. I cannot wait until the third and final installment of this series. We are left with a big cliffhanger at the end of the book and now I am anxiously waiting to see what happens next. Oh how I wish that I didn`t have to wait for the next book.

Monday Reads: a review + a new book

Review: Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number

I finished this book a few days ago. So so so good!! I haven't read a good girly book in a while. This one was great because it often made me laugh out loud. I'm not a big fan of sappy romance books and I like my girly books to be funny and quirky (à la Bridget Jones). This definitely makes its way into my top ten funny girly books. Definitely pick this one up of you're looking for a fun and quick read. I am hoping to read Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep a Secret soon.




City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This is the book I am currently reading. It seems as though I am one f the last people to start this series. I found that it started off slowly but I a, about had way through and the story is getting quite interesting. I am looking forward to finishing it up and reading the others in the series.

Synopsis: When 15-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing, not even a smear of blood, to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within 24 hours, Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears, and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary "mundanes" like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know.

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride they will never want to end.

Monday Reads: Crossed (the review)

I mentioned Crossed by Ally Condie a couple of weeks ago in my Monday Reads post. Now here is the review. This book was just ok for me. I have to say that I enjoyed the first one a little more than this sequel. Something about this book reminds me of The Hunger Games. And because I absolutely adore The Hunger Games, anything that comes close to its story has to be done really well. Although I found the character development to be great in this book, I found the plot to be lacking. Every time I thought something exciting was going to happen or that there was going to be some big twist or reveal, I was let down. It took me a while to get through this book. I am really hoping that the third book delves deeper into the revolution that is mentioned in this book. I am hoping for a faster paced more action packed book to end the series. One thing about this book that I found confusing was the alternating characters telling the story. Although we do find out a lot of me information about our main characters, their voices are not distinct and I always found myself flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to see who is telling the story. I mention this because I am now reading Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce and she has alternating viewpoints in her book as well. The difference is that it is very easy to tell who is narrating just from the style of writing.

Look for a review on Sisters Red soon!

Monday Reads: A Million Suns (review)

I just finished another wonderful YA read. I'm not sure why I have only been reading YA for the past few weeks.

My weekend read was:

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Synopsis: Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

Thoughts: I often find that many sequels will fall flat. Authors will write an amazing beginning to a series and leave you wanting more. Then when you read the next book you are left disappointed. This book did not fall into this category. The story was quick paced and I loved seeing the characters grow while facing new challenges that were presented to them. This is a great dystopian read. I have really been enjoying the dystopian books. If you have others to recommend, you know what to do!

This is a sequel to last year's Across the Universe, which is another amazing book. You have to read the first one before reading A Million Suns.

Book review: The Name of the Star

I just finished reading The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson and figured I would write my thoughts about it. I have already posted the synopsis (see Monday's post). Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a modern day Jack the Ripper story. Not really knowing the details of the original murders, I read up a bit about them as I was reading this novel. For those who do not know anything about the Ripper, the book provides enough background information. There is also a map at the beginning of the book so you can see where the various murders took place.

What I liked: I liked the paranormal take of this story. I also liked the fact that the book was quick paced. I read it in a couple of days and never felt as though it was dragging on. I loved the characters and would like to see how their stories will develop in the series.

What I did not like: The book ended very abruptly. I felt as though the author was running out of pages and felt the need to end the book all of a sudden. I don't mind cliff hanger endings, which this book had, but I felt that perhaps Maureen Johnson could have taken a little more time to tie up some of the loose ends.

I look forward to seeing what happens next. It is so hard waiting for the next book in the series especially when the book ends leaving you wanting more.