Book Review: Vein Of Love

Title: Vein Of Love
Series: Blackest Gold, #1
Author: R. Scarlett
Publication Date: August 16, 2016
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy
Add to: Goodreads /  Amazon

"Darkness isn't all one shade, sweetheart."

Three centuries ago, Molly Darling’s ancestors signed a contract in blood—daemon blood—to protect themselves from harm. On the eve she turns nineteen, Molly leaves for her birthday party against her parent’s wishes, sick of their warnings about her “betrothal to a demon.”

Except that she’s very much betrothed, and he’s very much a demon—one who’s only agreed to the nuptials to steal Molly’s ancient daemon powers. Brash, arrogant, and built like a Greek god, Tensley Knight keeps showing up to save Molly from otherworldly attacks, only to insult her a moment later.

As Molly learns more about the demon world, she realizes two things: that her family’s safety depends on a successful marriage, while any chance of freedom she’ll ever have calls for Tensley’s demise.

Yet sometimes Molly spots a tortured soul beyond those liquid grey eyes, and there’s no denying the way her skin tingles when Tensley touches it. In Vein of Love, safety requires sacrifice, foe becomes lover, and one must decide whether to kiss...or to kill.

MY THOUGHTS
Vein of Love is a dark fantasy that revolves around Molly finding out who she is, facing the situation she's currently in and how she'd protect her family while being engaged to Tensley who is like a Math problem she's trying to figure out.

This reminds me of The Sweet Trilogy by Wendy Higgins although it doesn't share the same story path as Vein of Love but it has the same concept about demons mingling in with humans in the face of the earth doing mundane things. Some anyway. The writing was good and the point of view changes weren't confusing for me despite being reading it as a third person narrator. The story is still very engaging to read and I love Molly's fierceness. Girl won't let anyone harm her family and friends and I had to give it to her for being brave in a world where she could be harmed at any given time. Also, I'm liking September, Illya and Lex. These characters had piqued my interest.

Like any other stories, there will always be things that I had to shake my head to. What put me off here were these: Tensley and Evelyn's relationship. I am bothered. Obviously, Tensley was unable to make up his mind about her even when he finds himself getting pulled by his feelings for Molly no matter how he denies it. While I get his situations and his nature, it was complicated and I don't think I could label this as a love triangle but low-key, it is. And I don't do love triangles. Another is his relationship with Molly. I feel giddy every "friendly" interaction they have that sometimes lead to something more. However, it's like one step forward and two steps backward. Last one that made me down was Molly trusting perfect strangers easily just because they were friendly. I'll stop there to avoid spoilers.

Overall, it's a promising start to a series and a refreshing read for me because it's fantasy and it's New Adult. The characters are close to my age and I've been looking for some good NA fantasy to read. This one did it but as much as I had fun reading, like I said, the whole "relationship" thing plus the "trust" situation were hindering me from fully enjoying this one. I'm indifferent when it comes to Tensley too but I hope that will change. Looking forward to the next book!

MY RATING

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Book Review: Wasted Words

Title: Wasted Words
Author: Staci Hart
Publication Date: May 19, 2016
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary
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Some universal truths refuse to be ignored.

Peanut butter and jelly are a match made in heaven. Spaghetti and meatballs are best friends forever. And guys like Tyler Knight don’t go for girls like Cam Emerson.

She knew from the second she met him that he didn’t belong on her bookshelf, the six-foot-six ex-tight end with a face so all-American, it could have sold apple pie. So she shelved him next to the supermodels and rock stars and took her place on her own shelf — the one with the flannel-clad, pasty-faced comic book nerds. Most of her boyfriends have existed between the pages of books, but rather than worrying over her own lacking love life, she puts all her energy into playing Cupid, using her job at the book bar, Wasted Words, as her stomping ground.

Tyler Knight always looks on the bright side. His career-ending injury turned into a job as a sports agent. A horrible breakup led him to Cam, his quirky, smart roommate who is far more beautiful than she realizes. She’s made it perfectly clear she’s not interested in him — not like that at least — but if she ever changes her mind, he won’t hesitate. Because he doesn’t see the lines she’s drawn between them, as much as she insists that they’re there. Deep down he knows that despite their differences, they’re a match well made.

MY THOUGHTS
Wasted Words is the typical "girl is a nerd, guy is a hot stud, and they fall in love" trope. Although I don't mind  because every protagonist has their own strengths and weaknesses, this was just a let down for me--and it's not even about the classic trope in romance books.

Cam is a strong girl who's passionate about her work and comic books and wants to see people happy BUT her tendency to make two people fall in love with each other according to her was upsetting and frustrating to read. She was just pulling the matchmaking card here and there and it was making me sad that she's hurting other people's feelings because things weren't going according to her plan (e.g. Martin.. poor guy). Tyler was knocking some sense into her but it took her a while... she was that hard to crack and stop. She did share her reason why she was doing this but I just find it lame because it's not your business to step in someone's love life just because yours did a wrong turn. I'm just upset and sad because she's adorable whenever she's not doing any of that stuff.

Tyler's friend was also annoying... and I don't even have the heart to remember his name and I wish Tyler did too because it was obvious that the guy isn't the same good guy as before so I don't see the reason why he's still sticking around. Same dude also caused Tyler and Cam's relationship to bend and break--though both are neither faultless anyway.

I did enjoy the story when Tyler and Cam finally mend their relationship and admit to their faults. I also love Tyler's family, they're a great bunch to be around. Even though this book wasn't something I fully enjoyed, I still like how I enjoy how Tyler and Cam went from best friends to lovers--if I put aside the things that I didn't like. Also, Martin and Bayleigh made my reading time worth it.

MY RATING

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Book Review: The Problem With Forever

Title: The Problem With Forever
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: June 01, 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
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For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory "Mouse" Dodge, it's a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it's been four years since her nightmare ended, she's beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she's imagined, there's one she never dreamed of—that she'd run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn't seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn't take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she's not the only one grappling with lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider's life spiral out of control, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants and the truths that need to be heard.

MY THOUGHTS
As heartbreaking as this was, it was sadly too predictable for me. I'm emphasizing the "too" because this was like Perfect Chemistry (Simone Elkeles) meets Until Friday Night (by Abbi Glines) but even without those two books, it's still something I felt like I've already read before that I can already tell what's going to happen next. I didn't also feel the romance much in this book? Like it didn't spark something in me though I did find some of their moments precious and as the story goes on, it does progress.

Despite how I was kind of let down by this book, still, props to the author for tackling neglect and abuse through a girl perspective who's now moving on with her life and looking forward to a bright future. I can't say it was perfect executed but I like how our protagonist is trying her best. It was good reading what goes through her mind when she wants to speak like she's trying to tell herself that it's okay and when she does, she cheers herself up. It was actually cute and heartfelt that this girl with a rough past is not backing down--though she has her moments of wanting to speak but unable to, I still find her determination to be admirable.

I still recommend The Problem With Forever because I'm sure some people will likely be touched by the story.

MY RATING

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Book Review: The Star-Touched Queen

Title: The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
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Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

MY THOUGHTS

"Come with me and you shall be an empress with the moon for your throne and constellations to wear in your hair. Come with me and I promise you that we will always be equals."

The Star-Touched Queen is a very magical book and I admire Roshani Chokshi's lyrical writing because it really gave me the whole fantasy feeling when I read it. The plot was unique with the horoscope because I hardly come across books with that kind of theme. Props also for a strong female lead. I like how her being hesitant to trust a stranger, who's her husband, was something to relate. It's a stranger. Despite the friendly actions, still a stranger. I love her heart when it comes to her sister and how she's willing to take the risk if it means to save the people she loves. Her determination was admirable. Though I like to point out that even with all this admiration I have for her, she did still made some mistakes (something I had under the spoiler in my Goodreads review so if you haven't read the book, please don't click it).

However, as much as I enjoyed the book at some point, I was lost majority of the time. My interest started to really rise during Part II but even then, there were still parts where I question what is going on or what time/dimension is it already. The thing is, there are these doors--as said from the summary--and each door hides something. That was where I got confused. There's also the whole timetable in which again, I'm confused. The whole tapestry thing is another on the list. I even wonder if it's like Disney's Brave because the tapestry was connected to the story (the whole "fate" thing). The whole deal of how the tapestry works was explained but the details or process didn't really register in my head. I get the connection but I had a hard time picturing it--me picturing the book's scenarios helps me whenever I read because my imagination is doing this "mini movie" but sadly for this one, I had a hard time grasping. There were also things that somehow I wish there's more depth into it: the whole curse/horoscope (this might have been explained well but again, I was lost), the relationship with Maya and Nritti, Maya's past and how she got to where she is now.. even her relationship with Amar which was also intriguing for me (love the whole jaani endearment though, that was just sweet).

I started to get the hang on the last few chapters since there was a clear action going on and not just Maya wandering the palace and opening doors. The last chapter was kind of a mixed scenario for me because a lot of things were happening and to think it's nearing the end.

I'd still recommend The Star-Touched Queen despite my 3-star rating. It really is a beautiful book, it's just that I had a hard time understanding stuff. I might read this again in the future and maybe I'll finally get it. For now, I'm just gonna leave this here. Also, this book would've made a really great movie. Just imagine how awesome the cinematography will be (you'll get what I mean if you've read it).

MY RATING

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Book Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Series: Between, #01
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Publication Date: August 15, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Horror
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Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?
Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back.

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

My Thoughts

The premise gives off an interesting love story told within a creepy and mysterious theme, giving the book a very promising expectation for a reader who's into reading paranormal stuff mixed with paranormal romance. Picked this up because of two things: the very wonderful cover and the premise. I haven't read any review about it but I've been seeing this in my Goodreads Homepage last year. The cover snagged my attention, then came the title that tells you it's going to be horrifying, and the premise that has you intrigued. It met my expectation but as the story progressed, it went plummeted.

Plot

It started really good and hair-raising talks that makes you want to continue. I read this book fast but I took everything in. Although it was a good start, the middle parts were getting annoying and you can't help but question a lot of things. It got confusing (talking about the family ties, backgrounds and how things got connected and why it happened) and it just went downhill the moment the villain appeared. It seemed rushed and the horror suddenly took a step back and let the cheesiness in. Very typical for the villain to tell his background, his intentions, detailed information of his powers and how he came across his victims. I forgot if the year they live in was mentioned because the characters could really use a cellphone or some electricity to turn on the lights. Or maybe a job because they need to pay for bills.

Characters

Violet, the narrator, and I have a very complicated relationship. One moment I like her because she's waking up from the things she did or didn't do, the next I find her really hard to connect because who on earth would just accept some guest and sleeps with them without knowing their background and their personality first? River annoyed me as well. He's that mysterious boy you want to feel bad for but in the end, you have no idea if he deserved it. Neely's probably the only character I liked in this book. He seemed to be the only sane one and does what's right. Luke, Vi's twin brother, as well. He may start off as a prick but as the story goes on, he cares deeply.

Conclusion

It was a bit creepy but it died down at the last few chapters because I felt it was rushed. There were conflicting and disturbing scenes and if you're uncomfortable reading a book that deals with demons and blood, I would not recommend this. I'd still read the next book. I'm just hoping it won't be as upsetting as this, and I'm not entirely getting my hopes up.

My Rating:

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Book Review: Stroke of Fear by Alla Kar

Title: Stroke of Fear
Author: Alla Kar
Publication Date: November 07, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
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Sometimes the things you love are the things you fear the most …

Aubrey Depp has already faced death and escaped it once. Now it's back to get her. Once a swimming champion at her high school, Aubrey’s life was taken away when a former swimmer and boyfriend tosses her over a bridge, leaving her for dead.

Now a senior in college, she takes a summer job as a camp counselor with her best friend Cassie and her it’s complicated boyfriend Jake. Then she meets southern heartthrob Tanner Young and her entire summer is flipped upside down. He’s damaged, has a sexy southern drawl and has his eyes set on Aubrey.

She doesn’t mind.

Tanner is damaged, broken and for the first time in a year, feels like he can love again. Aubrey Depp is the one he wants, and he won’t stop until he gets her.

When Aubrey's past comes back to haunt her, Tanner vows to protect Aubrey. Showing her it’s okay to take that Stroke of Fear.

My Thoughts

Aubrey is scared of the water ever since a past incident that even lead her to stay away from something she loved: swimming. When her boyfriend 'teasingly' pushed her off into the water during summer camp, fear bubbled up inside her. To her rescue comes Southern boy, Tanner, who seemed to be first one to know her secrets and the fact that she is capable of swimming and is good at it. What Aubrey doesn't know, someone from her past is stalking and lurking around her in camp.

Fans of romance books, like myself, will enjoy Stroke Of Fear with its mysterious and hot theme but not guaranteed a hundred perfect. As much as I liked Tanner and Aubrey's scenes and their own love story, the way she ended things with Jake was very upsetting which lead me to give this book three stars. It seemed unfair for Jake's part because he wanted to talk to her, he wanted to know what's been bothering her but she doesn't tell him anything and she kept saying their relationship's complicated and they're distant. They've been together for four years yet the moment Tanner appeared, Aubrey somehow fell for him and was willing to tell him everything. Jake's no excuse for a douche like guy, after pushing Aubrey off as a joke, but he did deserve some explanation and a talk with her. Especially after everything that happened in the book, he actually did care for her a lot. Even Tanner noticed it.

I did enjoy the book, aside from that part that put me off. One scene gave me the goosebumps and the story did deliver a bit of mysteriousness. Love the cover, though. It's relevant to the characters, their clothing and the setting.

My Rating:

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Book Review: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Title: Antigoddess
Series: Goddess War, #1
Author: Kendare Blake
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology
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Cassandra and Aidan are just your average high-school couple. Blissfully unaware of her own power, Cassandra doesn’t even know that gods exist.

Until now.

Because the gods are dying - and Cassandra could hold the answer to their survival. But Aidan has a secret, and he will do anything to protect the girl he loves from the danger that’s coming for her. Even if it means war against his immortal family…

My Thoughts:

I was excited to start this book because from the blurb, I could feel that it’s gonna be dark and it talks about mythology, which is something I’m very interested in. I’ve been interested in mythology for so long. But somehow, I ended up feeling..a bit disappointed with this.

I was very confused at first with why the gods were dying, who they’re running from, and that feather with Athena thing which was kind of creepy. I even thought that this would only be focused on Cassandra and Aidan’s POVs and along their journey, they would just meet the gods but no, there’s also Hermes and Athena’s POVs. Both are told from third person. And if I remember, there was also a short POV of Hera, or maybe that was just part of some vision. Then the chapters were very unfair for the characters and their story. Cassandra and Aidan’s chapters would range around three to ten (less or more than) pages but most of the time, it’s cut so short that I find it annoying because they have such a short screentime and things were changing especially when Cassandra started seeing horrific stuff. While Hermes and Athena’s chapters were so long yet the longer they were, the more questions I have since their story (journey) has been dragging.

When things got interesting, I had this want to dislike Athena. And one of the reasons why I’m disappointed was because the gods weren’t acting like gods. They were dying but then it’s like a very new side to them. Especially Athena. I didn’t like the way she went around with Cassandra. It feels selfish and then at the end she just wants to leave Cassandra after everything that happened. I don’t want to get into spoilers. I’m not a spoiler-type of reviewer. And Aphrodite somehow surprised me, in a bad way.

Bottom line, I’m not happy with this book but I’m glad for the tiny bits of Cassanda and Apollo (even though I didn’t like the way things ended with them in the myth) and I still want to read the next book for some reason.

My Rating:

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Book Review: Black City

Title: Black City
Series: Black City, #1
Author: Elizabeth Richards
Publication Date: November 13, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
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A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-old Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

My Thoughts:

Fast-paced yet I enjoyed it nonetheless. Black City is set in a kind of futuristic world with humans and Darklings living together. Darklings are these creatures that are some kind of vampires although there are a lot of differences because unlike vamps, they don't melt under the sun and some of them aren't dead. The characters were pretty dark but not entirely dark where you had to read and understand them thoroughly. Just the kind of dark wherein you could say that this character holds a sad past or carrying a deep secret nobody should know. Or maybe this character is up to something and it will surprise the reader further into the story.

I've disliked a lot of characters in this book because they're plain too evil and to think that they're just walking here and there along with the good ones really irk me up. Natalie was a likable character although at first my feelings were conflicted towards her but later on, she stood up to her mom and that was something. Ash was kind of a mysterious and seemed to be the darker kind of character but he grew on me. He's not like those other sexy and gorgeous male leads that seemed to be perfect. He's got his weak moments, and I think it was a lot of weak moments but later on, like Natalie, he managed to show that he's someone who is capable of doing bigger things. I like them both as individuals but when I take the route to their relationship, that's where I get frustrated. Their love story was fast and filled with angst especially when Ash's destined-to-be-someone kept on persisting him to be with her which was simply annoying because the girl tries too hard. I think their relationship lacked the essence of 'talking'. They had these rough times yet the assumptions tend to be higher which lead them into arguments and separation. Which is again, frustrating because one moment they get separated because one said so, the next they're together again. They honestly need to patch things up.

 I've ditched reading this book twice already and a few days ago, I finally picked it up. The plot was kind of engaging but I'm confused most of the time because there were many groups and places to remember but it turned out to be okay. It's just that most of the time, the bad guys win. Something I find disappointing. But still, this had me thrilled with the fighting scenes and Natalie and Ash's relationship may be frustrating, it was still sweet to read. I'm still going to read the next book because I felt like a lot needs to be answered and I look forward to it in the next.

My Rating:

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Book Review: The 100

Title: The 100

Series: The Hundred, #1

Author: Kass Morgan

Publication Date: September 03, 2013

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia
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In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

My Thoughts:

A hundred people, who have been living in space, were sent to Earth on a mission to know if the planet is still capable of being a habitat after being a barren place for three centuries.

This book was too dark. Dark and full of angst among the characters. The only thing that kept me alive while reading was the bits of romance between two couples: Luke and Glass and Clarke and Wells (but their relationship is frustrating and complicated). Another thing was Clarke and Thalia's friendship. There wasn't enough sides to the characters. I understand that they've been through a lot and it was a nice thing to read about their pasts to know what happened but they're so..one-sided. The only emotions I was able to comprehend were frustration, anger, betrayal, sadness and love (although that escalated quickly).

Since they were sent to Earth on some mission, there wasn't much information given as to why exactly the earth suddenly became abandoned. Little facts here and there in the pages but it wasn't enough to provide a thorough understanding. Same goes for the city-like place they're living in space. The environment, the lifestyle, the politics, weren't also given much attention. I really liked to know how things worked there and I would've been glad to mentally picture their city in my mind.

It lacked explanation and it's quite focused on the romance. I didn't even feel the rest of the hundred people that were sent on earth but I'm giving it a three. Glass and Luke's love story was cute.

My Rating:

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Book Review: Crash Trilogy

(to be honest, I like the other edition's covers more but too bad there's no Crush cover for it)

Titles: Crash, #1; Clash, #2; Crush #3
Series: Crash Trilogy
Author: Nicole Williams
Publication Dates: July 19, 2012; September 01, 2012; April 23, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
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Southpointe High is the last place Lucy wanted to wind up her senior year of school. Right up until she stumbles into Jude Ryder, a guy whose name has become its own verb, and synonymous with trouble. He's got a rap sheet that runs longer than a senior thesis, has had his name sighed, shouted, and cursed by more women than Lucy dares to ask, and lives at the local boys home where disturbed seems to be the status quo for the residents. Lucy had a stable at best, quirky at worst, upbringing. She lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, has her sights set on Juilliard, and has been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Up until now.

Jude's everything she needs to stay away from if she wants to separate her past from her future. Staying away, she's about to find out, is the only thing she's incapable of.

For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love's about to become the thing that tears them apart.

My Thoughts

This is my first time reviewing a whole trilogy although I will just make it short and simple since this didn't caught my attention unlike her other work: Lost & Found (with its sequel, Near & Far). The reviews for the first book were really good though but it wasn't that enjoyable much because the two characters seem to fight a lot and it gets frustrating.

Lucy and Jude met at some beach until one night, Lucy was saved by Judge when his company (or friends or whoever they were in his life) tried to set her on fire. When the police arrived, Jude was arrested since he had this reputation and Lucy haven't heard a thing about him until school started. Likely, they go to the same school and add some events here and there (no, honestly I forgot how they fell in love) and they're in a relationship. But their relationship was lacking something: TRUST. 

I won't go into further detail because I might spoil. 

In Crash, the relationship between Lucy and Jude really needed to be shaped because it was just rough on the edge and they keep on fighting. Lucy's also someone who really gets jealous a lot and Jude's the type of person that needs to enroll in some anger management facility. The one thing I love in this book was the talk about The Beatles, hence their names are like from songs of the band. 

In the second book, Clash, their relationship's starting to shape when some cheerleader gets into the picture. And once again, they're starting to fall apart and for the same reason: the lack of trust. Lucy's all, "I trust you" but in the end, when Jude's not with her, she just doesn't. Which makes me want to pull my hair off because her man's doing everything to make her trust him. As for Jude, he really should have just told the cheerleader to back off. It was pretty obvious she's into him. The ending's good nonetheless.

Lastly, we have Crush. The last book. I have mixed feelings for the book. I think everything in their relationship went too way fast. Same issues, different scenarios. But what I loved a lot? Like a lot? The epilogue. It totally won me over. I just can't get enough of the fluff and how happy they are and how far they've gone through even if I still felt kind of uneasy. Still, I just loved it. Worth it anyway. I'm also glad that they have these friends who stuck with them until the end. Even Lucy's parents, in which I wasn't sure what to feel for her mom during the first book but in the end, I liked her.

Not the best. I've been upset at some parts but some moments made me want to sing songs from The Beatles. Especially when they go like, "Hey Jude" (calling Jude, not singing the song) and I just sing the lines at some point. I did enjoy some bits of the romance. Clearly, the last parts of the third book was just adorable.

My Ratings:

Crash & Clash

Crush

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Book Review: Frigid by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Frigid
Author: J. Lynn
Publication Date: June 15, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Add to: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

My Thoughts

I have a love-hate relationship for this book and I have no idea how to put it. I feel like I've read a ton of fanfiction before with a similar scenario like this: Guy best friend is a player while girl best friend is just a normal girl and they're both in love with each but are afraid to admit it. But the events that come forth are different although that's the key point in the story's plot line.

I think Sydney's lusting more on her best friend at the very first scene in the first chapter but she's still in love. I think her jealousy is the one thing that drives her lust for him. It's hard to figure what she wants though. I had a hard time refraining myself from screaming in front of my e-reader because she's a bit frustrating. Kyler's no exception too. Although I can see he adored her that much but he should really learn from his man-whoring and get a grip from what happened in chapter 19. 

BUT, I liked how things went from after that. The 'This Is Forever' was so cute! Sweet, romantic and cute. I had to picture in my head the grinning Sydney and Kyler during their third grade with matching shirts. Ms. Armentrout could still pull of a cute bit in her stories, no matter how they frustrate and makes me want to snap the senses out of the characters, and that's a very nice thing.


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Book Review: My Life Next Door

Title: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publication Date: June 14, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything. 

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? 

A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

This book was adorable but it could have been better in my opinion. I love the Garrett family especially little George. Little kid got the smarts, I'm pretty jealous. Samantha's mother really gets on my nerves. Same goes for her boyfriend. Even after reading the book, I still don't like her. Even Samantha at times...

One certain incident really made me want to shake some sense in her. Valuing your mother's political reputation over someone's life? Who's in a fatal condition? How sick can that be? It's such an easy choice but NO. And if I were Sam, I would have punched or slapped her mom's boyfriend. This character lacks confidence to me. She also lacks the will to stand up for herself. 

Her best friend, Nan, too. I liked her in the beginning but after getting caught cheating she puts the blame on how her life's unfair to Sam? And she labels herself "best friend"? I didn't even think I'd like Tim, Nan's brother, he was such a wreck but wow..he grew on me and I like him more than Sam. Even though he's cussing a lot but I'd give this guy credit for wanting to do what's right. And no reconciliation between Sam and Nan? Not cool.

I still add this to my favorites. It makes you see the pros and cons of life and family. I teared up when the Garrett family went into a downfall. And Jase is sweet and a wonderful brother. The little Garretts bring out the fun in this book. It makes it worthwhile to read when they're in the picture. Exact reason why I kept on reading. The romance is pretty cute too and I'm happy with the ending :)



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Book Review: Invisibility by David Levithan & Andrea Cremer

Title: Invisibility
Authors: Andrea Cremer & David Levithan
Publication Date: May 07, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned, especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth.

My Thoughts

I honestly was excited to start this book and at the very first few chapters, it managed to catch my interest. But later on, it was already kind of dragging. I haven't read any work from Andrea Cremer so this is my first from her but I've read and liked Every Day by David Levithan and also Will Grayson, Will Grayson in collaboration with John Green so I was looking forward to reading this. 

I like the invisibility concept (not to mention the cover of the book as well) and this is one of the few books I've read where I have this need to feel so bad for the male character. This need to hug him and comfort him. Being invisible is never cool and Stephen probably knows that since he's lived sixteen years being invisible. 

The things that put me off was, first: the relationship between Elizabeth and Stephen. It was cute in the beginning but the moment she knew his curse, his big secret, it became distant. Somewhat distant but they're working on it and glad that they're fighting for it. But it was...bland. I don't know, I feel like she shuts him out every time he wants to help. Of course, he's in the picture too so I think he's in the need to do something.

Then the revelations part. I'm satisfied with Elizabeth screaming when she found out that Stephen's invisible. That would create a normal reaction knowing you're the only one who can see your boyfriend. But the moment she found out about her abilities, no reaction much? Okay so maybe that's because she can feel something about her is...something. Still, I was hoping for a reaction. And until the last part of the book, her ability to see Stephen leaves a question mark. Like there's no hint? Or did I just miss it?

This was okay. Okay-Read. I like the relationship of Elizabeth and her brother, also their mom. Stephen's father is a question mark too, I would have loved his mom. Why is his grandfather strong in a fight if he's really...old. I don't quite understand Millie. 

There are tons of things I've been meaning for the book to explain further. Most of the book took up on Elizabeth's POV where she's learning magic and Stephen's POV where he's trying to figure out about his curse. To me, it lacks the grip of excitement in action scenes. And it lacks conversation. CONVERSATIONS. I'm not thoroughly fond of the "more narration, less conversation" stuff. That's all. 


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Book Review: Icons

Title: Icons 
Series: Icons, #1
Author: Margaret Stohl
Publication Date: May 07, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia
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Your heart beats only with their permission.
Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.
She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.

My Thoughts

To me, if I'd label this, it would be: "okay-read".

To be honest, it wasn't that bad and it wasn't that great either. Though most of the time I got confused. I think there are many things here that should be explained more further and with vivid details.

This book had me at its prologue. It sparked my interest to read it because from what it delivered, it was really promising. The first few chapters were okay but as I was getting to the middle, that was the moment my confusion started. Or maybe I was just too caught up with other books (I was reading another book while I took the moment to put this down for a bit) and that's why. Still it left me with many questions at the end. And by many I mean MANY.

I wasn't really enthralled with this so I couldn't find any other words aside from FINE and OKAY. Giving it 3 stars.

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Book Review: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Title: Chain Reaction

Series: Perfect Chemistry, #3

Author: Simone Elkeles

Publication Date: August 16, 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

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Like his brothers, Luis Fuentes is a risk taker; whether he’s scaling the Rocky Mountains or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis is always looking for the next thrill.Nikki Cruz lives her life by certain rules ― don’t trust a boy who says “I love you", boys lie to get their own way and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Then she meets Luis at his brother Alex’s wedding and suddenly she’s tempted to break all her rules.Getting Nikki to give him a chance is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by the head of the gang that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. Will Luis’s feelings for Nikki be enough to stop him from entering a dark and violent world that could prove to be the ultimate risk?

My Thoughts:

This one’s my least favorite of the three. If Rules of Attraction had given me a hard time liking Carlos, this book has given me a harder time liking Nikki. But the epilogue was good. It’s like a good closure to this trilogy. 

I had to give Simone Elkeles props for the twist though. I feel sad for Luis but at least he still has a family who loves him no matter what. I’d keep this review short because I don’t have much anything to say. It was okay but I’m just having a hard time liking the lead female character. It wasn’t like with Brittany and Kiara.

But Carlos though, oh his proposal to Kiara was just sweet! I have a thing for male characters and their tears. Plus Alex/Brit wedding and baby Paco awww :’) His “Weese" is so cute! Also the scene with Carlos and Alex discovering Luis and his cheesy love poem had me cracking. Such a Fuentes moment.

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Book Review: April Showers

Title: April Showers 

Author: Karli Perrin

Series: April Showers, #1

Publication Date: June 14, 2013

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

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What happens when your head and your heart pull you in completely opposite directions?

April Adams is about to find out the hard way. When April enrols at Manchester University, it feels like a whole new life. New city, new house, new friends…new crush.
Isaac Sharpe is the hottest guy on campus - with an even hotter reputation. After a chance meeting, April quickly finds herself wrapped up in all that he is. But what if all that he is isn’t what it seems?

Caught up in a battle between what she wants and what she thinks she needs, April meets Lukas Roberts. Lukas is the security blanket that she craves so desperately and she finds solace in their friendship. But what happens when she finds more than she bargained for?

My Thoughts:
It took me a while to post my review for this (got sidetracked by exams and other books). This is one of those romance kind of books with a love triangle in that. It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a love triangle (the last book/trilogy with a love triangle I’ve read was The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare that quite left me in a coma after the last book, in a good way anyway. VERY good way..)

So, here’s my review for April Showers and I’m telling you, this is kinda filled with spoilers.

As much as I’m happy that the guy I’ve been rooting for at the beginning got the girl, I had a hard time liking the female protagonist. The book was fast-paced though it was cute but yeah, fast. I’m gonna talk about the three main characters here: April, Isaac and Lukas.

Spoiler-ish below…

April - She’s stubborn and she seemed unfair. So she met Isaac first then dreamed of him but then she found out about his work, she didn’t even bother listening to him as if she knows everything. Then she goes to her friend, Lukas and I felt like she was using him or let’s say taking advantage of him and his nice personality. And she’s so in denial even to her best friend, Katie. And again she’s also stubborn enough to listen to Katie which at some point, I feel like Katie’s right.

Isaac - I admit that he’s creepy and stalker-ish though I can’t help but feel bad and sad for him. Bad for what April did to him and sad for what happened to his sister. He’s a sweet guy and well, I think he knows how to keep his distance when April was dating Lukas. Overall, he’s creepy but only towards April..but yeah, he’s sweet. And caring..and hot.

Lukas - DUDE, I thought he was nice. Well, he is nice but what he did to his fiancee was just unacceptable. So what if it was an arrange marriage? Why not man up and stand up for yourself? Why cheat? So what if also that he wasn’t in love with his fiancee? Did he actually think that it was okay to fall in love with someone while engaged? He should’ve just broke it off BEFORE he went after April. I really don’t like cheating, or cheaters. Ugh, what a turn off. I’m so disappointed in this character (and with April too).

April and Lukas were being unfair. Like really unfair. That’s how I see it. But I like how April stands up for herself. Her sarcasm’s kinda helped her in some ways. I like Katie though. I like how she wants to knock some senses into April, how she wants her to think through her complicated love life. The ending was a cliffhanger. I don’t know what to feel for Lukas. All I could think of was Isaac and April.

The book was okay. The weak points are there but I April’s confidence of standing up for herself against Hollie was good. I like it. This is still the beginning to we’ll see in the upcoming books. 3 stars, it’s a start.


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Book Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Title: Just Listen

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publication Date: April 06, 2006

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
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Last year, Annabel was “the girl who has everything" — at least that’s the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf’s Department Store.

This year, she’s the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong.

Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen’s help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

My Thoughts

This is my first Sarah Dessen book and although I didn’t enjoyed it that much, I still want to read her other books. Someone told me that The Lullaby is good so maybe I’ll read that one next.

Before I read this book, I was watching some show about models and their weight and some eating disorder stuff and I’m surprised that what I read is kind of related to what I’ve watched. It’s actually a good thing that part of this book talks about it and how it can affect someone just because they want to have that kind of body. Though there’s a ton of aspects in this book, not just the eating disorder issue.

I had a hard time understanding Annabel. Or getting to grasp her character’s personality. Something like that. She keeps quiet on things that matter (like during the Perkin’s Day or what day was that) but then there’s Owen who could tell if she’s lying or not. I’m also confused with their relationship. One moment they’re talking about music, then they’re kind of uh, having a misunderstanding then the next everything’s okay. And then they kiss and yeah. I didn’t like her friend, Sophie, too and why she still keep on being friends with her after years of being an enabler when she said to go to this party and hang out or whatever. And losing her best friend because of that. I can’t….can’t continue.

Owen and his love for music is adorable. It kind of reminds me of myself whenever I talk about books like if I ask you to read a favorite book of mine then you don’t get it and then I start to explain it to you as to why this book is amazing or great or just good. Same goes for Owen and how he wants to tell Annabel his music genre of choice and why this song or singer is good or not. But I don’t think that I’d be all calm and collected if people say they don’t like it. I mean they have their opinion but a little pang of hurt in that is something I couldn’t ignore.

The car wash scene was pretty cute. Really cute. And Annabel and her dad watching History Channel (I love History Channel).

I give this 3 stars. It was okay :)


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Book Review: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx

Series: Lux Series, #2

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication Date: August 14, 2012

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Add to: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there’s this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that’s possible. Against all common sense, I’m falling for Daemon. Hard.

My Thoughts

Okay, as much as I love this book and series, I had to give this three stars because of my rant on Katy. I like her but in this book, I absolutely want to strangle her. Like for real.

Heroines (and even heroes) and trust issues. From the moment Daemon said that Blake couldn’t be trusted, I believed him because that usually happens to stories. And Katy still refused to believe and trust Daemon so she ended up hurting herself and having someone killed. <spoiler inserted here> And Daemon had the right to be furious. Oh gosh, I got really frustrated towards Katy because of that. Why trust someone you just met who happens to got you almost killed with the so-called “training"? I wanna smack her so bad and I feel so bad and sad for Dee.

I get the part that she doesn’t want to drag Daemon and the rest into her situation but hey, that’s also their business because she’s now “connected" to him and whatever bad things that might happen to her, it’ll only be worse for Daemon.

Then there’s the self-denial. Oh. My. God. After everything that happened, she was still stubborn to admit her feelings for him and I feel Daemon’s pain already. It’s so obvious that he likes her (heck, he loves her) but Katy keeps pushing her feelings away. And what they feel i terribly mutual. I understand that she doesn’t want them both to end up like Beth and Dawson but hey, why not take a risk? If they both believe that they’re strong enough to fight for the worse, then it might be possible right?

I so want to pull my hair out because of what happened. But here are some lovely bonus points I found in this book:

1. Daemon being all sweet and a gentleman. 
2. The Thanksgiving scene between Katy and Daemon. 
3. "I’ve seen dolphins give hotter kisses than that." - BEST. I laughed so hard. 
4. Katy/Daemon arguments. I love with when they argue/fight. So much tension in it that make you think of the hot make-out session after. Ha. 
5. Dawson. I mean, he’s a good thing that happened, right?

I still like Katy. It’s just that in this book, she gives me utter frustration. I can still hold it for Opal. I might read the book sometime this August so that it would be less painful to wait for Origin. I heard Opal’s ending is shocking and it hurts, so I’ll wait.


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