Review: Fallen

Fallen (Fallen #1)

by Lauren Kate

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret...even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, FALLEN is a page-turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Source: Publisher( Thanks Random House!)

My Thoughts:

I don't know how to write this review. I don't want to bash the book and author and I'm going to TRY very hard not to.

This book had a great prologue. I was very intrigued. But then the real story starts and things start going downhill from there.

Almost ALL the characters in this novel are weird.and not in a good way. I know that the novel is set in a reform school and the characters won't be normal but they're all so WEIRD! I heaved a sigh of relief when a normal person finally entered the scene but she had a very minuscule role . SPOILER  the author killed her off in the end. WTF? spoiler ends.

Let's start with my MAIN PROBLEM with this novel....

The female protagonist a.k.a Luce .a.k.a the most stupid character who would make feminists barf and spit at her grave.

Case in point

When she first looks at a guy and he flips her off ,she doesn't get angry with him.She becomes obsessed with him. I understand the fact that you feel a "connection" to him Luce but don't you think you should be annoyed at the fact that he flipped you off? No you're too busy being embarrassed because you're sure that you must have made some mistake which led to the guy flipping you off...

Another case 

So the guy is being polite towards Luce instead of being his usual rude self and takes her for a walk in the forest. She's never been to this forest before.EVER. That in itself should make her pause a little.Anyways she's having a nice chat with him and then she thinks that he's going to kiss her and she closes her eyes and waits. When she gets tired of waiting she opens her eyes and he's disappeared.

This is the point at which a NORMAL person would feel scared and very angry towards the guy.But not Luce. Luce is STILL OBSESSED with this guy....

That's not even the worst part.

The guy takes her to the same forest AGAIN. She goes with him without hesitation AGAIN. And then he abandons her in the middle of the forest AGAIN. But Luce is still not angry or annoyed with him.

When I lent this book to my friend she thanked me,

Her exact words were

"Thank you for introducing me to a character that is lamer than Bella (from Twilight)"

And Lucinda is definitely worse than Bella.MUCH MUCH WORSE.Bella was bearable and at least gave Edward the cold shoulder when he was mean to her in Twilight.Lucinda is incapable of being angry.She's too busy being obsessed with a guy who doesn't even give her the time of the day.

Daniel  (the male protagonist) is going to be in my most hated male protagonists list for sure.

The only reason I managed to finish this novel is because I expected a plot twist or an interesting explanation for all the frustrating behaviors. BUT NO...

THAT WOULD BE TOO MUCH TO ASK.

The explanation is confusing and the ending leaves you with more questions than answers.

Well, I've had enough. I've read 452 pages of RUBBISH. Wasted a month TRYING to read and finish this novel and I will most definitely NOT  be picking up the sequel(s).

The only good thing I have to say is that the author manages to keep you from throwing this book at the wall by keeping your interest in the "secret". That in itself is an achievement with such irritating characters.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this novel.

My Rating:

1.5/5

Greta and The Goblin King Excerpt + GIVEAWAY!

Greta and the Goblin King (Mylena Chronicles #1)

by Chloe Jacobs

BLURB:

While trying to save her brother from a witch’s fire four years ago, Greta was thrown in herself, falling through a portal to Mylena, a dangerous world where humans are the enemy and every ogre, ghoul, and goblin has a dark side that comes out with the eclipse. 

To survive, Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young goblin king, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape. 

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. An ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal, and with the next eclipse mere days away, every bloodthirsty creature in the realm is after her—including Isaac. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back...

Today I have an Excerpt from this novel ...

(This excerpt is from the ARC .Changes might take place in the final copy)

The thief lifted his hand to the blade she held at his throat.

“Would you really harm a group of little kids?”

Greta didn’t know what she would do. In fact, she might be

too stunned to react at all—and that meant she had to take back

control immediately.

“Just a group of little kids, huh? Little kids who happen to

be aiming spears at me all Lord of the Flies-ish?” She snorted.

“Absolutely, I would.”

“She must be human,” he called out to the other boys as if she

wasn’t threatening to spill his very red blood on the pure white

snow. “She’s read William Golding.”

Greta drew a hard breath. “Buddy, considering the position

you’re in right now, what the deadly bounty hunter holding a knife

to your throat has or hasn’t read should be the last thing on your

mind. What you need to be thinking about are answers to my

questions.”

He sighed. “Can’t we all lose the weapons and talk like

reasonable people?”

She wanted to trust him. Humans in Mylena. Could they

possibly know how to find a portal home?

Finally, she nodded. She had to take the chance. “Agreed,” she

said. “If everyone drops their sticks and stones, I’ll put away the

knife.”

The little ones eagerly threw their makeshift weapons into the

snow. Some of the older boys grumbled a bit, but eventually they

did the same.

Only when Grumpy had added Greta’s other dagger to the

pile did she release their leader and push him clear of her.

Replacing her knife in its sheath, she put her hands on her

hips and took a closer look at the boys. They gathered together

behind the older one and as she watched, the smallest reached for

his hand, crowding into his side as if for protection.

God, they were so young.

“Who are you? How did you get here?” She bent to retrieve

the last dagger, as well as her sword and scabbard, strapping it

around her waist before returning the full weight of her gaze to

the guy who’d stolen it right out from under her. Greta had to

admit, that had been a pretty ballsy move.

“I’m Wyatt Castle,” he offered. “Formerly of a little nowhere

place in North Dakota.” He rubbed a hand over the small scrape

in his neck, but Greta only crossed her arms and waited. He wasn’t

going to get any sympathy after sneaking up on her like that.

“This is Ranier, but everyone calls him Ray.” He nodded

at Grumpy. “We’ve also got Charlie, Jack, and Sloane…and the

mean little guy here is Jacob.” He paused to muss the hair of the

boy huddled up to his side who stood looking at Greta with a wide

grin that showcased the equally wide space where his two bottom

teeth had been until probably just a few days ago.

Greta had a sudden vision of purple flannel pajamas, a pink

stuffed elephant, and her larger-than-life father putting her own

tiny molar into an empty candy tin and slipping it under her pillow

before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She couldn’t remember exactly what he looked like, or how

he smelled, and she couldn’t remember the timbre of his voice, but

she remembered his promise that the tooth fairy would come and

leave her a dollar. He must have told her he loved her. Told her

to sleep tight. Said he’d see her in the morning, but she couldn’t

remember that either.

She shoved aside thoughts of all the nights she’d gone to bed

without those words since, all the mornings she’d wakened and

he hadn’t been there. Instead, she wondered how many other

mothers and fathers had been left wondering, waiting, but may

never know what had happened to their children. These children.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

Official links: http://www.chloejacobs.com

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GIVEAWAY

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Review: Alice In Zombieland

Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1)

by Gena Showalter 

BLURB:

 She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….


Source: Publisher (Thanks so much Mira Ink! YOU ROCK! )

Note: YOUNGER READERS STRONGLY CAUTIONED.

My Thoughts:

This book has a lot of faults.
Insta obsession ,bad boy, zombies that are not really zombies, some weird characters , not enough "zombie" killing, no swords  etc.

BUT...
I really enjoyed this novel.

Let me make one thing very clear.This book has no connection to Alice in  Wonderland (except maybe a rabbit shaped cloud) so don't read this book expecting an Alice In Wonderland retelling.

I read this novel right after reading Fallen by Lauren Kate and I found that there were some similarities between this book and Fallen. But Basically this book is a thousand times better than Fallen with pretty much the same framework.(I can't stop myself from comparing the two novels but don't worry there are no spoilers for both the books!)

This book has a bad  boy (a.k.a Cole) but he's not got a multiple personality like the guys in Fallen. When he starts talking to Alice he's actually nice to her and doesn't become a mean person at the drop of a hat.

Alice is a main character who is having a hard time. She's pretty sure if she told anyone about the zombies they would think she's insane.( Like that girl in Fallen with the shadows) Unlike the girl in Fallen or Twilight, Alice has a spine and stands up for herself.She's independent and has a snarky response to any comments thrown her way. She also knows how to kick some A$$ ( FINALLY A female protagonist who's not completely helpless!) The best part about this novel was how she handled Cole.She actually protests when treated badly and doesn't follow his every order. Also there's no "I LOVE YOU GUY I barely know  Cole" . Thank you Ms. Gena for creating a character I can tolerate. Thanks so much.

The book starts off really well and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think I'd like to know more about the history of these creatures.I just can't think of them as zombies.They're more like carnivorous spirits.I wonder why the author called them zombies.She could have easily created a new type of paranormal character by calling them something else.

Definition of a zombie(source: wikipedia)
A zombie (Haitian Creole: zonbi; North Mbundu: nzumbe) is an animated corpse resurrected back to life by mystical means, such as witchcraft

The creatures in this novel are not corpses but spirits.So technically they aren't zombies.I guess we'll just have to get used to this.


The plot had enough twists and turns to keep me hooked and the characters were interesting and I was able to get emotionally invested and interested in this novel.

Overall, This book is great fun and I really enjoyed this novel.I can't wait to read the sequel.

My Rating:

4/5

enjoyed!

Excerpt: First Comes Love + GIVEAWAY!

Today I have an Excerpt From First Comes Love

DYLAN

I sit down on the dry, prickly grass and watch him curiously as he disappears inside the English building like he’s running for cover. 

My photography class has taught me two crucial lessons about life.  First, become an avid people watcher.  It’s amazing the truth people expose when they think nobody’s looking.  Two, look for beauty where it isn’t obvious.  Try to see life through a creative lens.  I love this challenge.  Anyone can see what’s right in front of them, but its subtle beauty, the kind that takes time to discover, that you have to pull out and dust off that catches my eye.  I find things with cracks and flaws and textures so much more interesting than something polished and perfect and pristine.  

I’ve taken my professor’s advice and everyday after class I people watch and collect observations.  That’s when I noticed this guy.  It’s easy to overlook him; his back is always molded to the side of the building like he’s part human, part statue.  I almost doubted he was alive until one day when our eyes accidentally crossed paths.  Even from across the courtyard, I could see they were striking, the color of a clear blue afternoon sky (up close they’re even more impressive—they can hold you hostage).  But there’s an edge to them that was more startling than the color.  Instead of seeing, they were repelling.  Deflecting.  I smiled at him, but he didn’t grin back at me.  He didn’t even nod—he just turned away like I had rudely stumbled into his line of vision. 

He’s trying to blend in, which only makes him stand out to me.  In the last two weeks, I’ve made a couple of observations:

1)      He never smiles.  Ever.  I’ve seen him nod to people that pass him on the sidewalk.  He talks on his phone sometimes and texts.  He doesn’t frown either.  He’s just emotionless.  Numb.  Like something’s missing.  Why doesn’t this kid smile?  Do his mouth muscles not work?  Does he have braces?  A gaping overbite?  It’s become my mission to make him smile, like trying to chip through a layer of ice to see if something’s moving and flowing underneath.   

2)      He avoids people.  This suggests a few theories—he’s aloof, he’s antisocial, or he has a contagious skin rash that he’s afraid to spread.  Or, the mostly likely scenario, he chooses to be alone.  There’s always a reason why someone prefers solitude to people and I’m determined to figure out why.  For me, life is one long expedition in search of answers to WHY. 

3)      He’s cute, but not in a typical way.  He’s not one of the pretty boys that litter Phoenix like glittery street ornaments.  No tattoos, no spiky hair or muscle tank tops or shirts with the buttons open halfway down to expose bronzed skin and sun-streaked chest hair.  This guy mostly wears gym shorts and baseball T-shirts and flip flops.  That’s one thing we have in common.  He’s not trying to impress anyone.  He may not be Mr. Approachable, but at least he’s real. 

4)      Music is his thing.  It’s always on.  He zones out to it.  And he always wears a hat.    It’s like he hides behind it, as if he’s trying to escape or shut out the world. 

I unzip my backpack and pull out my inspiration log (a hand-sized journal I carry everywhere).  I flip through the pages until I find my list of Oughta’s—daily goals I assign to myself.  In the year I’ve been making them, I’ve seen every single one through.  Today’s goal is:  MAKE A FRIEND.  This challenge is no easy feat but I’ve been holding my own secret audition, listening to people’s conversations and studying their mannerisms and waiting for someone intriguing to come along. 

I look back at the English building and smile because now I’m convinced.  

This guy is perfect. 

On the surface he might be calloused, but looking through a creative lens, I think there’s something more hiding underneath.  He reminds me of a folding chair, closed in and waiting to be shoved in a storage closet.  I’m determined to see him unfold. 

First Comes Love (Book 1)

 Blurb:

Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what's next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.

What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.

But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you're sorry.

Second Chance(book #2)

Blurb:

Can two drastically different, imperfect people be perfect for each other?

It’s been four months since Gray and Dylan have seen each other. Dylan’s been traveling in Europe, while Gray has college, baseball, and a life rooted in one place. Gray’s determined to forget Dylan, the girl he fell in love with in First Comes Love. Besides, how do you make a relationship work with an independent loner?

Just when he decides he’s over her, Dylan makes an unexpected entrance back into his life, hoping their steamy romance can start right where it left off. Gray realizes you can tell your mind to do one thing, but you can’t always convince your heart to follow. Dylan realizes she finally has to make a choice between freedom and her relationship with Gray.

Hilarious, intense, inspiring, and emotional, Second Chance shows that love is a journey, and there are never clear road signs or maps to guide you along. You can only navigate with your heart.

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Teaser Tuesday: Second Chance

Today I have a Teaser from Second Chance

“I’m done,” I say. 

Dylan looks down at me. “Done?”

“With dating. It isn’t worth it. It shouldn’t be this painful.”

“You’re a little young to retire in the dating department.”

“I suck at it.” I rub my hand over my face. “It shouldn’t be this much work.”

Dylan shakes her head. “Not if it’s the right person.”

I can feel her eyes on me, but I refuse to meet her gaze. She sums up my entire dilemma in one sentence.

{Deity Blog Tour} Character Interview Feat. Aiden and Alex + GIVEAWAY!

I've been over the moon for the past few days because I got a chance to ask Alex and Aiden (That's right AIDEN!)

from the Covenant series some questions...

  

Deity in one word or sentence

"Finally," Alex says.
Aiden laughs. 

If you lived in the 'normal' world what would your job/career be?

"Probably something in law enforcement," Aiden answers.

Alex smiles. "He'd be hot in a uniform, wouldn't he? I think I'd do something with animals. I'd love to work at a zoo."

Imagine that you have to propose to someone... How would you do it?

Alex arches a brow. "I'm so not proposing to anyone."
"I'd go the old fashion route," Aiden says. "Try to surprise her. Have the ring hidden and then go down on one knee."

One thing you love

"Food?" Alex asks. "Does that count?"
Aiden shakes his head. "Music. Besides the obvious, that is."

One thing you hate

Aiden snorts. "I think that's pretty obvious."
"Fate," Alex says.

TV shows or songs you love (I'm not sure if you watch TV so I'm giving you a choice between them)

"I love Sanford and Son," Aiden says, grinning at Alex.
She rolls her eyes. "I don't want TV or really listen to a lot of music."

One thing Alex is very bad at...

"Self-control," Aiden answers.

 One thing Aiden is very bad at ....

Alex glances at him. "Self-control."

 There's this writing ninja called Jennifer Armentrout. What are your thoughts about her?

"Never heard of her," Aiden answers.
Alex shakes her head. "I think she's stalking us."

SO there's this guy named Daemon [he's an alien] Have you heard about him? If so what do you think about him?

Aiden rolls his eyes. "I've met him a time or two. Had to do interviews with him. Not impressed."
"I hear he's a tool," Alex says. 

Deity (Covenant #3)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

BLURB:

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "


Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden. 

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome. 

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed. 

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

I was one of the few lucky people who got an ARC of this book and let me tell you something.......

THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!

I loved this book.I loved it so much that I'm going to be featuring it this month!

Basically I'm going to post my review and some quotes and loads of rants about how far the release date for the next book is.So keep your eyes on the blog for that!

GIVEAWAY

ASIDE FROM THE OFFICIAL TOUR GIVEAWAY (listed below) you can also win this book or any other book in the same series by entering my 1000 followers giveaway  .

This giveaway is for prize packages that include a $25 Amazon giftcard, a copy of the book, a shirt and lots of SWAG!  There will be three winners.  This giveaway is from Spencer Hill Press.

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Review: Foretold

Foretold (The Demon Trappers #4)

by Jana Oliver

 Stand by as Riley prepares to kick some serious demon butt for the last time in this thrilling, dramatic and sexy conclusion to The Demon Trappers series.

Riley’s always known that Beck had a chequered history, but she’s not prepared for what it actually means to be in love with a guy with this many dark secrets. Now that he’s finally admitted to himself that he’s in love with her too, there’s no more hiding the truth about his past. And as it turns out, fending off a demon apocalypse is nothing compared to what’s to come..





US cover:

This book comes out in December in the US.

Source: Publisher(Thanks PanMacmillan!)

My Thoughts:

This is the FINAL book in the Demon Trappers series. 

Recently I haven't been satisfied with quite a few endings (like ending to Hex Hall series ) so I was very wary of this book.I had been dying to read it but I was stiff wary of it.

I'm glad to say that I was satisfied with the ending.

This book was predictable in a lot of parts and I was a little disappointed with a few things but I enjoyed this novel .

This book has two distinct storylines. One part deals with Beck's past and the other deals with Hell and Heaven.

I really enjoyed getting to know more about Beck's past and finding out what kind of parents he had. I loved the part in which Riley and Beck's mother had a "talk".It was nice to see Beck vulnerable and know how people treated him in his hometown .

The Heaven and Hell storyline surprised me.I, for one thought that part of the story had been resolved but it has been a year since I've read book #3 so it's possible that I've forgotten some things.

I love the fact that Jana Oliver has given this series a proper ending. I don't think there can be any more books in this series and I'm okay with that.Too many series just don't END! (eg. Morganville Vampires) 

The ending of a book should leave you satisfied and feeling good.This book does just that.I'm glad that I picked up this series and I will definitely be picking up more books by Jana Oliver.

My Rating:

4.5 /5

GREAT END to a series!