The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Red Pyramid is one of the middle grade books that I had such pleasure reading. Although it is not one of my favorite reads, I still enjoyed reading it. Rick Riordan created another fantastic world involving gods and goddesses. I love his take on Egyptian Mythology. I admit that I am rather clueless about it and reading this book, I actually gained a new knowledge. The magic and fantasy in the story is so wonderful, the plot is really good as well as the adventure. Sadly though, I really don’t have the connection with the characters. Sadie is somehow annoying and Carter is just awkward. But I really do love Bast/Muffin. I am so fascinated with her. Although I don’t really like Sadie and Carter, I think they portray the role very well. I do had such fun reading it so I am looking forward to read the next installment in the series which is “The Throne of Fire”



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In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi @ www.thestorysiren.com

Purchased Books:

• The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
• Across the Universe by Beth Revis
• Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

Afterlife

Title: Afterlife 
Author: Claudia Gray
Series: Evernight # 4
Published: March 08, 2011 by HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 360
Genre: YA Paranormal/Vampires


My rating:  

Summary:
Destiny awaits Bianca and Lucas . . .Bianca and Lucas have always believed they could endure anything to be together. When a twist of fate not only transforms Bianca into a wraith but also turns Lucas into a vampire--the very creature he spent his life hunting--they are left reeling.
Haunted by his powerful need to kill, Lucas can turn to only one place for help . . . Evernight Academy. Bianca is determined to remain with him. But with the vampire leader of Evernight waging a war against wraiths, her former home has become the most dangerous place she could be, despite the new powers her ghostly transformation has given her.
A battle between wraiths and vampires looms, and Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They've overcome every obstacle life has thrown at them, but is their love strong enough to survive the challenges "after" life?

Wither

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Wither is an easy read book. I devoured it for only a day, with the interruption of my son. Although I read it pretty much faster than I usually do, I really can’t say that I liked the book so much. It is somehow okay, neither great nor terrible. The writing is really good, excellent even. The plot has a great potential but it lacks of action, an adventure which every dystopian story has. Some parts are really just boring…



What’s really bugging me off are the characters. Rhine is ok but she has no great impact on me. Linden is just too weak for my standards. And Gabriel doesn’t really shine; he just somehow fades in the background. The only character that I liked is Cecily, although she is whiner and a brat at least she has the guts to stand out. I don’t know but the characters kind of ruined the book to me.



I admit I was pretty disappointed in this book. I expected a lot from it. The romance is barely there, it was not explored really well. Like I said there is no real adventure on this one, even when Rhine tries to escape. Rhine mostly talks about the bath, the dresses, how she was primped up. I think it was needed to established the story, but not necessary to be included in most chapters. There are so many unanswered questions. Oh well, maybe book two will be better than this one.





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The Locket

The Locket by Stacey Jay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another book that I did enjoyed reading. It is a simple yet fascinating and engaging story. The time travel stuff in here is created excellently.

Katie, Isaac and Mitch are the main characters in the story. They were best of friends since they were kids. Katie and Isaac eventually became a couple. Everything is fine between them until Katie make a mistake of kissing Mitch. She lost Isaac because of that and Katie is so devastated that she’ll do anything to get him back. And the locket that she found in her grandma’s things gave her that chance to do so by going back in time to correct her mistake.

This story is so captivating and wonderful. It was well written and it is pretty realistic. The lessons in here will hit you hard. You will relate to the characters easily, their decisions and mistakes are so similar in real life. More often than not you can relate to Katie because her she is so real. I found myself agreeing in some of her decisions to change things because if I am in here place I might do the same thing. I am so loss at words to describe how I love the book. the only thing that I can say is that reading this make me appreciate all the things I have in my life and to never alter it any way possible.




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Waiting on Wednesday (05)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

It is about the upcoming releases that we can't wait to read

Deadly Cool

Gemma Halliday

Oct. 11, 2011 by HarperTeen

Summary: 

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool. But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

Teaser Tuesday (04)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

 Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

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

My Teaser: 

"If I could, would I be a nearly seventeen-year-old trapped in a five-year-old's body? Would I have to relive my entire life?"

- p. 84

The Locket

by: Stacey Jay

In My Mailbox (09)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi @ www.thestorysiren.com

This week the books that I purchased is what i called "catching-up" edition. These books are released last year and was just recently released in paperback. So excited to read them.

• The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
• Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
• The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
• Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Heist Society

Heist Society by Ally Carter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ally Carter is definitely one of my favorite authors. Her Gallagher series is one of my fave reads and I’m so glad that Heist Society lived up to my expectations. I had so much fun reading this book. The execution of the story is just wonderful. The characters are good, I really love Kat, the way she thinks and acts. Hale is just amazing, and being gorgeous and rich is just a bonus. Although the adventures in this book are not that much, the way they planned and execute the heist is splendid. And pretty realistic too. And I love how Kat values the importance of family. And one thing I noticed about Ally Carter’s writing is that the romance involve with the characters is not overwhelming and cheesy.



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Inside Out

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


ratings: 4.5 stars

Wow! This book surprised me so much. I am so freaking speechless after I read it. Maybe because I am not expecting that ending to be that way. I still can’t figure out if I love the ending or if it frustrated me but nonetheless this story is brilliant.

I love Trella’s character; she is a-ma-zing! I really love how cool she is and her character is admirable. She can go inside the pipes and know places that she alone knew. She is so strong and courageous. Although she is stubborn I admire how she avoided doing stupid things and if she did she would not regret it and would make the best out of it. I also love how she and Riley met. She distrusted him but Riley never betrayed her. And the way Riley proves that he is a trustworthy one.

The revelations in this story are really not that shocking but some parts of it are unexpected. And I do love the originality of the society in here. It is not a typical, in fact I love the idea that people both the upper and lower levels doesn’t have an idea if the outside did exist or what it looks like.

Good thing that Outside In is already out, I will need to pick it up soon. I need to read it so bad…




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Waiting on Wednesday (04)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

It is about the upcoming releases that we can't wait to read

Juliet Immortal

by: Stacey Jay

publication date: Sept. 13, 2011

Summary: 

"These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."
—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

In My Mailbox (08)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi @ www.thestorysiren.com

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Sadly I did not buy any books this week. Need to prioritize my son needs first. But luckily I received an arc of these two wonderful books. I am so happy! So excited to read them!!!

ARC: (NetGalley)

For Review:

• MISFIT by JON SKOVRON (Thank you ABRAMS)

• LEGACY by CAYLA KLUVER (Thank You HARLEQUIN)

Dark Mirror

Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dark Mirror offers us a magical, fantasy world with a touch of history. And I would say that I truly enjoy reading this book.

Lady Victoria Mansfield, or Tory, discovers that she has a magic when she woke up floating in the air. In their time, aristocrat families despise magic. But the commons embrace it. Tory tried to hide her magic but when an accident involving her nephew occurred she has no choice left but to save him using her magic. And the consequences are brutal. She was sent to Lackland Abbey, a school who cured aristocrats tainted with magic. Tory intended to be a good student and go back to her old life. But she soon found out that the lure of magic is so strong. Her curiosities lead her to a tunnel where the rebels or “irregular” secretly trained. And she eventually joined them.

M.J. Putney fused together two historical events. And it was done fantastically. I was captivated by the magical ability of the characters and the way they are weaved to two different worlds. Though at some parts I found the story and the situation too simple I still had so much fun reading it. And a little touch of romance sealed it perfectly.




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Waiting on Wednesday (03)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

It is about the upcoming releases that we can't wait to read

Dark Angel 
by: Eden Maguire
publication date: August 4, 2011

Summary: 

Tania's heart belongs to Orlando. Nothing can rip them apart. Until the seduction begins in a flurry of glamour and magic, music and parties all orchestrated by the mysterious and mesmerising Zoran, an iconic rock star who has retired to a remote ranch in the nearby mountains. And there Tania meets the dark side. Can she resist temptation?

Nevermore

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Nevermore” is one those books that I found myself surprised because I liked it more than I expected to. I thought the plot is so typical, a Goth boy and a cheerleader. I know I’ve already read a story with the same plot. But of course, I am indeed wrong. Yes it is about a cheerleader (Isobel) and a Goth (Varen), but the story? Not so typical. In fact, it is way, way unique and different. And who would have thought that incorporating “Edgar Allan Poe” in the story would be such a big hit. The only thing that I can say about the book is that it is a dark, mysterious and hauntingly delicious kind of a ride. The writing is so fantastic and remarkable.

And oh! I don’t know why, Varen may look and sounds like a weird guy but he is totally a swoon-worthy one. Never thought that I will find the lip ring sexy but I simply did!




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