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Showing posts with label rating: 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rating: 5. Show all posts

Sunday, June 05, 2011

Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 360 pages

PublisherDelacorte Press Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (October 12th 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10
0385738757
ISBN-13
9780385738750
Source: Purchased from Fully Booked
First Sentence: "She spoke to him before the world fell apart."
Favorite Line from the Book
"No. I kind of accepted it, in a way. That saving you was worth losing what we might’ve had.
Book Summary:  Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?
I have been looking for this sequel to The Maze Runner for a while now as it is always sold out in our local bookstores.  Good thing I was able to spot the single copy last week and finally got to read it.  I haven't been mistaken.  It is simply awesome!

The book started just where The Maze Runner ended.  We can still see the usual gang - Thomas, Teresa, Newt, Minho, and Frypan.  Another character was also introduced - Aris.  He is the equivalent of Teresa in Group B.  Yes, there is another group and another maze which Wicked developed and ran simultaneously with Thomas' group - Group A.  I am going to stop here now as I might not be able to stop and continue retelling the story which I know will just piss you off.  This book is THAT amazing!  I can go on and on about it and might not stop.  Okay, stop now! ^_^

Anyway, the story is still told in Thomas' point of view.  The book was even more descriptive than the first.  Its readers will get to understand what happened in their futuristic world and actually feel that intense heat, The Flare, by just reading through the book.  This second book was told in such a way that its readers will actually think about what would happen next.  It is gripping and it made me feel that I was on the edge a lot of times, trying to guess what their next move would be.

The climax and the ending of this novel is not what I expected it to be.  Well, neither did The Maze Runner... Which is just so awesome!  It is so unpredictable that I actually re-read the last two chapters just to check if I missed anything that led to the ending.  If The Maze Runner is a cliffhanger, I don't know what to call this second book. It has so many twists and turns that you can never guess what comes next.  It is so intense that its readers will not and cannot take their eyes off the book until the very end.  I just couldn't wait for the third book, The Death Cure, to be released and finally get the answers to my questions and get my mind at ease.

I have to commend James Dashner for being able to write such a climactic, intense novel which can make your head spin.  I'm so looking forward to the conclusion of this series.

Here's the book trailer:



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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 487 pages

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; 1st edition (May 3rd 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10
0062024027
ISBN-13
9780062024022
Source: Purchased from Fully Booked
First Sentence: "There is one mirror in my house."
Favorite Line from the Book"'I might be in love with you.' He smiles a little. 'I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.'
Book Summary:  In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.
There are two kind of books - the one which doesn't live up to the hype and the one which can and did.  Divergent definitely lived up to my expectations AND to its hype.

This is a fast read for me and it has 487 pages!  This book is just so engaging and action packed that reading it will just take a breeze.  With every turn of the page, I felt that I was being sucked into the world of future Chicago.

Divergent is set in a undetermined future in Chicago wherein people are divided into factions: Candor (honest), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (daring), Erudite (knowledgeable), and Amity (peaceful). At the age of sixteen, teenagers are given the chance of choosing which factions they will go to. Take note though that ones you choose your faction you want to be with, you will make that faction your life, your family, your identity: "Faction before blood." Different factions have different ways on how they conduct their rigorous trainings to the initiates. Not everyone passes and those who didn't make the cut will be fanctionless.

What I love best in Veronica Roth's writing is that even though the setting is futuristic, the characters are still real.  You can get to connect with each of them.  Even the relationships with each characters are not forced nor stiff.  All their reactions to the situations presented to them in the novel are so genuine that you wouldn't think that you are with them living in a futuristic world.  I love how Veronica Roth developed Tris.  I like her.  I love her attitude and even her flaws.  The author was able to build her, slowly at first, but as the story progresses, Tris as a character, grows too.  Four on the other hand, I totally adore.  He is such a tough guy on the outside, but has lots of beliefs and feelings which he wouldn't let anyone see.  I love the mysteriousness which was mixed in his character. 

All in all, the story is well developed.  The twists are shocking and the climax was totally awesome.  The ending to this book has just the right amount of perfection to make us want the second book.

Here's the book trailer:



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Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 264 pages

PublisherDutton Juvenile; 1st edition (April 5th 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10
0525422943
ISBN-13
9780525422945
Source: Purchased from Power Books
First Sentence: "Every morning I wake up and I tell myself this: It's just one day, one twenty-four-hour period to get yourself through."
Favorite Line from the Book"But I'd do it again. I know that now. I'd make that promise a thousand times over and lose her a thousand times over to have heard her play last night or to see her in the morning sunlight. Or even without that. Just to know that she's somewhere out there. Alive.
Book Summary:  It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future–and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I StayWhere She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.
Just like If I Stay, this companion novel had me preoccupied for about a couple of hours and when I say preoccupied I am the kind who cannot be bothered or talked to coherently.  It means that my mind is totally else where... it means that I was in New York following Adam's and Mia's story.  That was how engrossing this book is.  Unlike If I Stay though, Where She Went is not as emotionally packed novel (simply put, I didn't choke with tears), but still heartbreaking and intense.  This novel is told in Adam's point of view and took place three years after Mia woke up.

This is Adam's story, his journey to life with Mia and without her.  The book is centered around Adam's state after three years of Mia leaving him.  Just like If I Stay, the novel still gives us flashbacks of the memories of Adam and through that we see his devastation, broken heart, watch him rise to fame, and see him trying to cure his wounds through writing music and watch him struggle to get over each day without Mia.

Mia on the other hand is still coping up with the loss of her family and through the author's writing, I felt how hard it would be if I am in Mia's shoes.  I might as well end up making the same decisions as hers and even let go of that one person whom I love deeply.

I love how the author was able to write such a powerful and intense book.  After reading If I Stay, I had my reservations about this book.  I mean, can Gayle Forman top If I Stay with this sequel?  My answer after putting down this book is a resounding YES!  She was able to yet again engulf me in the world of Mia and Adam and she was able to envelope me with the emotions of both characters.

Where She Went is a book about selflessness, sacrifices, moving on, acceptance, closure, and forgiveness.  Any person who will read this book will get a feel of how it is like to live your life day in, day out knowing that you have this entire hole in your being and only one person can fill it in.

Here's the book trailer:


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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 196 pages

PublisherDutton Juvenile; 1st edition (April 9th 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10
0525421033
ISBN-13
9780525421030
Source: Purchased from Book Depository
First Sentence: "Every one thinks it's because of the snow."
Favorite Line from the Book"And that's just it, isn't it? That's how we manage to survive the loss. Because love, it never dies, it never goes away, it never fades, so long as you hang on to it.
Book Summary:  In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.
If I Stay had me reading until the wee hours of the night.  I finished the book in only one sitting.  Although this novel is quite short as compared to the other YA books, the book can give you a mean punch.

Mia is your typical seventeen-year old.  She has a bright future awaiting her and planning on attending Julliard once accepted.  She is a cellist.  She has a family which everyone might wish for (I especially fell in love with her younger kid brother, Teddy).  Mia has a boyfriend that utterly loves her and a bestfriend who will never leave her and is very much loyal.

One snowy day, a tragic event changed all these.  And as Mia lingers in ICU, looking at her comatose self, she tells us her story.

I am at awe at how the author wrote this heartbreaking novel.  I cannot imagine myself in Mia's situation and I cannot even predict what I will choose in the end.  Dying is part of this novel, but the author didn't present it in a morbid way.  She has written the novel in such a way that can make you understand the reason behind the difficult predicament that Mia is in - to move on along with her family or to stay.

The title of the book is very apt to the story.  It clearly defined the state wherein Mia is in.  It is a lingering question... full of uncertainty and pain, full of hesitations and what-ifs.  Eventually Mia chose something in the end (I am not going to tell which one as there might be others who hasn't read this yet) and it left me reeling from pain.

If I Stay had me in tears during the last 4 chapters or so.  It is just so heartbreaking and I applaud the author for writing such masterpiece which simply sucked you in.  If I could just describe this in three words, they will be - intense, moving, and definitely heart wrenching.

P.S. If you decide to read this novel and I definitely recommend you to... be ready to have a box full of tissue.

Here's the book trailer:

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Saturday, May 21, 2011

Review: We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages

PublisherSimon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (April 26th 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10
1416995587
ISBN-13
9781416995586
Source: Purchased from Book Depository
First Sentence: "On Wednesday nights when I was little, my mom and I would watch old musicals."
Favorite Line from the Book"There are moments in every girls life that are bigger than we know at the time. when you look back, you say that was one of those life-changing fork in the road moments and I didn't see it coming and then there are the moments that you know are big that whatever you do next there will be an impact. Your life could go one of two directions, DO or DIE.
Book Summary:  It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.
All I can say is that this third and final installment of the Summer series is truly the ultimate conclusion to the love story of Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah.

I learned about this series early this year when I started hogging other book blogs.  I suddenly had the realization that I have been missing out a lot by not reading the series.  When I started reading The Summer I Turned Pretty, I just couldn't stop.  If you think after I read It's Not Summer Without You made me stop reading... Think again.  I read We'll Always Have Summer twice!  These books by Jenny Hann made me feel young again.  They made me look back to my childhood dreams and fantasies.  They made me remember how it was to fall in love for the first time.

The third book in the series is all about choices, repercussions, consequences, growing up, love, and letting go.  It is not as tear-jerker as the first and second book, but all the scenes leading up to Belly's and Jeremiah's big day were just so heart-wrenching that I could even feel the pain.  If the second book gave us glimpses of Jeremiah's thoughts and feelings, in this third book, it was Conrad's turn.  I love knowing Conrad more.  I honestly rooted for him since the second book and I always, always wished that he and Belly would end up together.  Seeing a part of him made me love him more.

The ending of the book and the series is perfect.  I am not going to spoil it for you by telling how it ended... but one word will describe it... perfection.

Jenny Hann made me part of the lives of the characters. These books made me feel that I grew up with Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah, and Steven.  The ending was definitely bittersweet.  I will miss Cousin's beach and I will definitely pick these books up just to re-read them over and over again.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 372 pages

PublisherDutton; 1st edition (December 2nd 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10
0525423273
ISBN-13
9780525423270
Source: Purchased from Book Depository
First Sentence: "Here is everything I know about France: Madeline and Amelie and Moulin Rouge."
Favorite Line from the Book
"How many times can our emotions be tied to someone else's - be pulled and stretched and twisted - before they snap? Before they can never be mended again?
Book Summary:  Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?
So I just finished reading this book... and I read it TWICE!  It was that wonderful!

Anna and the French Kiss is a love story... BUT it is definitely not the "love at first sight" or "i'm in love 'coz you're such a hunk" or even "too good to be true" kind of love story.  The love story of Anna and Etienne was wonderfully written and slowly building.  The first few chapters of the book was really dedicated to Anna's struggle in her new school at a totally different country.  With this part of the novel, we see Anna build friendships, come out of her shell, and even become passionate again about her love of theaters.  It was very well written that you can picture the world of Anna - Paris, the lovers' capital, the most romantic place on earth.  The author was able to vividly capture Paris and seemed like she was able to deliver the city to me right through the book!

Anna's and Etienne's friendship is just so true and pure and seeing them slowly fall in love just made me giddy and made me really smile.  But, what I admired about how the author wrote this second part of the story was that it is not all about just falling in love and showing all the wonderful things that love can do to you, but she was also able to include the awkward moments, the insecurities, the denial, and the unpopular, bad decisions.  All of these are so realistic that I could feel what Anna was feeling.  I could very well relate to her.  The scene which I love best and I still cannot (will not) forget about is when Anna finally realized that she's in love with Etienne.  It was so raw and heart-breaking and yet so beautifully written and felt like a light-bulb moment for Anna.  I even imagined her to be Cher in Clueless when she suddenly realized that she fell in love with her ex-step-brother, Josh.

Overall, I ultimately loved (still love) this book!  This novel is not only about romance, but also about building friendships.  This is not only about glamorous Paris, but also about a girl trying to survive alone at one of the most wonderful cities in the world.  This is about growing up, self-discovery, making bad decisions and facing their consequences, and above all, self acceptance.

For anyone who hasn't read this yet, let me tell you that you are missing out on something really, really great!

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Sunday, May 15, 2011

Review: It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages

PublisherSimon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (April 27th 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10
1416995552
ISBN-13
9781416995555
Source: Purchased from Book Depository
First Sentence: "It was a hot summer day in Cousins."
Favorite Line from the Book
"I will never look at you in the same way ever again. I'll never be that girl again. The girl who comes running back every time you push her away, the girl who loves you anyway.
Book Summary:  Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.
I was blown away by this book.  I read this in less than four hours and it left me breathless.  I was in an emotional roller-coaster ride all throughout reading this novel.  I even got teary-eyed from the first chapter of the novel until its end.

This novel is about the life after Susannah passed away.  It centered on how the lives of Belly, Steven, Conrad, and Jeremiah each changed.  It also let us see how Lauren, Belly's mom and Susannah's best friend, copes up with her friend's demise.  Grief was very evident in this book, thus inflicting raw emotions from its readers, me particularly.  Jenny Han once again, gave each character different ways on how to deal with this situation and I loved how she has written this.

The story is presented in such a way which still has Jenny Han's signature style - the flashbacks which makes you understand the characters and the situations more.  I appreciate this as I get to know more where each of them were coming from.  It gave me more avenues to get to know them.  I also like that I get to read Jeremiah's point of view.  It made me feel that he truly loves Belly and will do anything for her, who loves her no matter what.

Belly's confusion is still here.  She is presented with a choice - to continue loving Conrad even though she knows deep in her heart that it is unrequited or to start a relationship with Jeremiah, her best friend and Conrad's brother.  Jenny Han created a very wonderful conflict that you can really feel that you are fully immersed in the story.  You can feel how Belly's heart is being torn apart.

The ending is perfect.  It definitely opened different possibilities where its readers will think who Belly will end up with.

I loved "The Summer I Turned Pretty," but I definitely loved "It's Not Summer Without You" more!

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Review: Stay by Deb Caletti

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages

PublisherSimon Pulse; 1st edition (April 5th 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10
144240373X
ISBN-13
9781442403734
Source: Purchased from Book Depository
First Sentence: "First off, I've never told this story to anyone."
Favorite Line from the Book
"It's strange, isn't it, how the idea of belonging to someone can sound so great? It can be comforting, the way it makes things decided. We like the thought of being held, until it's too tight. We like that certainty, until it means there's no way out. And we like being his, until we realize we're not ours anymore." 
Book Summary:  Clara's relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it's almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he's willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won't let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....
This is my first Deb Caletti novel and all I can say is that the novel is just utterly amazing!  The emotions which were depicted in the book were just so realistic that the reader could actually feel it.  I loved how the author was able to not only insert, but also basically let the characters be as realistic as possible.  She was able to weave a story so gripping that you will not want to put the book down.

I am not going to delve on how the story went nor discuss the summary.  Rather, I will tell you how I felt while I was reading this and right after I've put it down.

The pain and the struggle of Clara can be felt all throughout the book.  The concern and the parental protectiveness of Clara's father was very evident in the story.  There were secondary characters introduced in the book and I enjoyed getting to know each one of them and seeing how they touched Clara's life while she's copping with everything that's going on in her life.

This novel is fantastically written that the shifts from the past to present is not abrupt.  It made me feel that through those flashbacks, I got to know how the relationship between Clara and Christian went.  I also like the footnotes included in some part of the book.  It's funny and quirky and there were times wherein I get to laugh out loud because they were just so adorable.

This is a love story.  But this is not your typical love story because this is a story about the love for oneself.   It is a story of moving on, of letting go, of forgiveness, of finally finding redemption.  The novel has touched so many aspects of life that I cannot even put into exact words how I really felt with each turn of a page.  The story will definitely reel you in and you will definitely, in one way or the other, relate.

I can say that this is definitely a must read especially to those people who needed that extra push to the road of moving on.

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 338 pages

PublisherPhilomel Books; 1st edition (March 22nd 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10
0399254129
ISBN-13
9780399254123
Source: Purchased from Power Books
First Sentence: "They took me in my nightgown."
Favorite Line from the Book
"A tiny sliver of gold appeared between shades of gray on the horizon. I stared at the amber band of sunlight, smiling. The sun had returned.
Book Summary:  Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.
Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.
Between Shades of Gray is a gripping story about a young girl's struggle to obtain freedom and her constant fight for survival.  This is a story of pure heartache from the first chapter until the end.  Lina and her family were uprooted from their home and became slaves after a long journey to Siberia along with the other Lithuanians who were also stripped of identity, wealth, food, and some, their dignities.

Since the first chapter of the story, I was already at the brink of crying.  Chapter after chapter my heart simply went out to those characters in the story.  I was able to really immerse into the story and connected to each one of the characters, be it the main characters or the secondary ones.  Ruta Sepetys was able to write such an emotional and powerful novel about how one finds the courage to survive not only for herself, but for her family, for everyone that she held dear.  She was able to incorporate a very clear message that even beyond the most horrible of circumstances, hope and love is really what matters.  Friendships which were built in the novel were so true and pure that you would wish for one like it.  Hope resonated in this novel.  No matter how bleak it was for the people of Lithuania, they still had that glimmer of hope that one day, they would be free.

They say that you'll never get to appreciate something unless it was taken from you.  And I regard freedom as one of those things we take for granted.  After reading this novel, I think that you'll not look at freedom the same way again.

P.S. I cried so hard towards the end of the book, so be prepared.

Here's the book trailer:




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Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 276 pages

PublisherSimon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (May 5th 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10
1416968237
ISBN-13
9781416968238
Source: Purchased from Book Depository
First Sentence: "We'd been driving for about seven thousand years.  Or at least that's how it felt."
Favorite Line from the Book
"I say, 'I can't believe you're really here.' He sounds almost shy when he says, 'Me neither.' And then he hesitates. 'Are you still coming with me?'  I cant believe he even has to ask. I would go anywhere. 'Yes,' I tell him. It feels like nothing else exists outside of that word, this moment. There's just us. Everything that happened this past summer and every summer before it, has all led up to this.  To Now." 
Book Summary:  Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
This was such a fast read for me.  I finished it in just one day.  The novel was beautifully written and has been crafted so intricately that you can actually imagine that you are also with Belly, Jeremiah, Conrad, and Stephen at the Cousins Beach for the summer.  I liked how Jenny Han was able to capture the essence of youth in this novel.  The chapters dedicated for flashbacks were also very nice.  It gave you not only a glimpse, but also making you understand the long history of these teens' friendship.

The love story included in this novel was simply awesome!  I was definitely blown away not because the love story was epic, but because it was so pure.  It made me think about my first love, my first crush.  This book will definitely transport you to your youth and those summers that you treasure most.

I applaud the author for writing such a simple, and yet very heartwarming novel.  She was able to write a novel so detailed that you will feel how it is like to be in love for the first time again.  This novel truly captured my heart forever.

Here's the book trailer:




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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Review: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 424 pages

PublisherMargaret K. McElderry; 1st edition (April 5th 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442403543
ISBN-13: 9781442403543
Source: Purchased from Fully Booked
First Sentence"Just coffee, please."
Favorite Line from the Book
"And then there was you. You changed everything I believed in. You know that line from Dante that I quoted to you in the park? 'L'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle'?" 

Her lips curled a little at the sides as she looked up at him. "I still don't speak Italian."

"It's a bit of the very last verse from Paradiso - Dante's Paradise. 'My will and my desire were turned by love, the love that moves the sun and the other stars.' Dante was trying to explain faith, I think, as an overpowering love, and maybe it's blasphemous, but that's how I think of the way I love you. You came into my life and suddenly I had one truth to hold on to - that I loved you, and you loved me." 
Book Summary:  
City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever.

Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

So where should I begin? At this point, I have finished the book yesterday, but I only got to really sit in today to really compose this review. Why, you might ask? Simply because I cannot put into words how I felt right after I finished the book. IT WAS TOTALLY AMAZING!

I loved the Mortal Instruments series which I just read last January. Shame on me, I know. One of my closest friends recommended the series, and I read the first book and finished the entire series in just one week. I adored all the characters in the series and I liked how Cassandra Clare could make me dumbfounded about all the twists in her very intricately written series. I thought I have already learned how to predict her writing style. Boy, was I wrong!

It was nice to see old characters reemerging from the old series AND tie it also with the characters of the Infernal Devices series. The characters definitely have grown up especially after what they have all experienced in City of Glass. I cannot say that they have grown into better persons, but definitely, they have grown more mature, more accepting of each others’ differences. I especially like that in this book, Jace and Simon has come to better terms and has opened up a new level of friendship between them. I was also came to understand why Isabelle just wouldn’t fall in love. And yes, I also get to feel that this novel, though based in a realm of fantasy, the author was still able to inject reality such as how Alec’s and Isabelle’s parents try to deal with their lives after Max’s death in City of Glass.

Just like the Mortal Instruments, this is a fast-paced, action-packed novel – which I appreciated. There was never a dull moment. There were also times that I just found myself laughing out loud because of the usual sarcastic lines of Jace, the not-too-innocent puns of Simon which is, of course, directed to Jace.  I can say that this is emotionally electrifying as well. I especially liked how each character not only displayed their strengths, but also being more open about their fears and weaknesses. The ending was a bit of a shock to me and such a cliff-hanger!

Over-all, Cassandra Clare created yet again, another great novel and I am so looking forward to the next installments in this series.

Here's the book trailer:

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