IceJewel

Review : Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) by Richelle Mead

2010-06-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I am back, I guess, after 3 months ! Thanks all for still being with me :)
Gosh..I have lost track of all the latest releases around..!! Again, so many books to read and so little time !
Anyway, I recently finished reading Vampire Academy #1 about which I would love to share a few thoughts without any spoilers.

Title :Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1)
Author: Richelle Mead

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

About the book:

She must be protected at all times from the fiercest and most dangerous vampires of all-the ones who will never die.

Rose Hathaway is Lissa's best friends and her bodyguard.

Now, after two years of illicit freedom, they've been dragged back inside the iron gates of St. Vladimir's Academy.The girls must survive a world of forbidden romances, a ruthless social scene and a terrifying night-time rituals.

But, above all, they must never let their guard down, lest the immortal vampires take Lissa - forever...

My Review:

This is the first book in the series..and I have to say that I am not very impressed with it.I liked it, but I couldn't get totally into it.The book somehow failed to create an ambience for me.No thoughts about the book lingered after I finshed it.But, it wasn't that bad either.I actually enjoyed it.

Ok..a little about the vampires in the fantasy world created by the author-Richelle Mead....

Vampire Academy has three types of vampires, Moroi, Dhampirs and Strigoi.So, a lot of scope to write aye ?Anyway, let me give a short description about these kinds.

Moroi are living vampires who feed on blood and have elemental magic in them.

Strigoi are undead, or say immortal vampires who also feed on blood and don't have any kind of elemental magic in them.They are formed as a result of killing any human or vampire or if anyhuman/Moroi/Dhapir is bitten by one. They are blood thirsty and yes, I can say they are the ones which match up the description of vampires in our so favorite Dracula !

Now, coming to the Dhampirs..they are Guardians.They are half vampires and half human.They dont need blood to survive on. Most of the Dhampirs turn out to be guardians, else, they hide in the human world or become blood whores.The Dhampires or I should rather say Guardians are been sworn to protect the Morois ! And so, here enters our Rose.

Rose is Lissa's(Moroi and a Dragomir Princess) bestfriend and her bodyguard.Or I should say her unofficial Guardian.I just loved her. She is strong, tough, short-tempered, reckless, a rule breaker, aggressive but, also a total kick-ass with an amazing sense of humor..! Rose and Lissa share and unimaginable bond which I simply found very intriguing and superb.

Lissa has great powers of which she is not much aware of.How these powers affect her and Rose is very interesting and forms the rest of the story.Anyway, after Lissa and Rose spend 2 years in human world they have been dragged back inside the iron gates of St. Vladimir's Academy. Why ? Well, read it..!

OK.This book I felt simply gives you a sneak peak into whats gonna happen in the next books in the series.So, there's a lot of explanation given regarding what kind of life Lissa and Rose now live and how it was before they ran away from the academy. The author has explained a lot about Lissa's and Rose's Characters.Also, a lot of explanation is been given about the different vampires and the how the school works.There is definitely a lot of high school drama shown with nasty rumors and mean girls and guys who are always trying to harrass Lissa. But, Rose being her guardian always protects her from any kind of harm.

So, I can say that Vampire Academy definitely made me buy the second in the series as I liked the plot very much.Lets see how the next one- 'FrostBite' turns out to be.

Random Update: NO BLOGGING for a few more weeks :(

2010-03-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I won't be able to blog for a few weeks more...!!! You must not have seen me much these days in blogosphere in the past weeks. reason ?? oh yes !

1. After a long wait I got into a MNC a few days before. All these sites are blocked there. The company in which I was working before was very small.So, access to all these sites were not prohibited.I used to blog in the breaks or whenever I used to get time. And of course Sundays were there !

2. In the current company, I am getting training which completely drains me off.

3. Its even far form my place, so I have to take company transport.And, now, I reach home around 10 p.m !

4. I just can't stand staring at my computer screen after I come home as thats what I do the entire day

5.Hmm..now coming to Sundays.Since my Training is going on, we have weekly assessments.As in Tests !! These tests are very important here.If I clear them, I will stay, else will be kicked out :(

6. So, on Sundays(No Saturdays off ), I sleep till 1 pm and then, I study as we have tests on Monday !!And, if I Log in here, its really difficult to come back to studying :(

7. I try to read a few pages everyday.But the moment I start reading, my eyes become heavy.

8. Another thing, I received one lovely blog award from Dazzling Mage of pumpkinreads and a Bliss (Happy 101) Award from LCzinha of endlessready a few days before. They are so kind and generous to think of me :) I thank you so much.I totally appreciate it.I would write a special post about it as soon as my Training gets over.

So, my dear friends, I won't be able to read, won't be able to reply back to you, nor would I able to read your wonderful reviews just for a few more weeks.Please bear me until then.

Thank you all for your support :)

Review : The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

2010-02-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

Title : The Time Travelers Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger

Rating: I have no idea !

About the book:

Audrey Niffenegger's innovative debut, The Time Traveler's Wife, is the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry finds himself periodically displaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

The Time Traveler's Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare's marriage and their passionate love for each other, as the story unfolds from both points of view. Clare and Henry attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals - steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

My Review:

Clare met Henry the first time when she was 6 and Henry was 36. Henry met Clare the first time when he was 28 and Clare was 20.And yes, they were married when Clare was 23 and Henry 31. Weird and confusing eehh ? Yes, Henry has some genetic disease which forces him to time travel into his past and sometimes in his future.Whenever he time travels, he is never been able to carry anything with him.Not even his clothes! This clearly put him always in a lot of danger whenever he used to time travel.But, one such day Henry:36 meets his wife Clare when she is of age 6. Years pass by, and Clare grows up knowing that one fine day, she and Henry are going to marry ! Faithfully, Clare is always shown waiting for Henry to return;sometimes, from his time travel adventure when she is his wife and sometimes in the hope to meet him again when she was very young. This story basically revolves around Clare and Henry and various hurdles they both have to face together and cope with because of Henry's time travel problem.

OK. 'Time Travelers wife' is a beautiful, intelligent as well as a little boring book! I just finished reading it a few days before, but was simply unable to put my mixed thoughts into words! I know, I have put a contradictory statement above, but yes, unfortunately it's true !

Let me explain..
Since I am in a habit of reading YA's or rather any books which are fast paced, I took a lot of time to get into this one.This book was very very very very slow for me...! Basically, the writing style was very different for ME. Like, if Henry wanted to wear a coat the words would be like : I got up from the bed, looked around, set my foot on the floor, then went to the wardrobe, opened it, found some coats hanging there, and blah blah...!
So, I had to keep a lot of patience for this one.Also, it took me a lot of time to basically understand whats going on since I was too on the roller coaster ride of the time and date mentioned in the book.After reading 40 pages or so, I even thought of quitting this book.

Anyhow, here, I won't say that the writing style was pathetic or bad.Nope...it simply didn't appeal to me because it was terribly slow.That's all. But, in spite of all this, I found the plot of 'Time Travelers Wife' very unique and filled with unconditional love! I guess, that's the thing I loved and which helped me to read the entire book! Very few authors can put pure love with all the sacrifices made and their aftereffects into actual words without explicitly and specifically writing about it. Also, the grieving, longing, happiness, sadness, all these emotions are written excellently by the author..! And mainly, the way Clare is shown so faithful and understanding towards Henry.The love and affection shown in this book is mind blowing !These are the few important reasons why I found this book so beautiful !

Considering all the pros and cons which I found, I find it really difficult to rate this book..! Conclusion: This book is tremendously slow and sometimes boring, because of the writing style. But, also, the plot, the characters, the emotions described in this book are really good....again because of the writing style!

Review : The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

2010-02-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

Title : The Forgotten Garden
Author: Kate Morton

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

About the book:

On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her – but the Authoress has disappeared without a trace.

A terrible secret…

On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell O’Connor learns a secret that will change her life forever. Decades later, she embarks upon a search for the truth that leads her to the windswept Cornish coast and the strange and beautiful Blackhurst Manor, once owned by the aristocratic Mountrachet family.

A mysterious inheritance…

On Nell’s death, her grand-daughter, Cassandra, comes into an unexpected inheritance. Cliff Cottage and its forgotten garden are notorious amongst the Cornish locals for the secrets they hold – secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family and their ward Eliza Makepeace, a writer of dark Victorian fairytales. It is here that Cassandra will finally uncover the truth about the family, and solve the century-old mystery of a little girl lost.

My Review:

This is a story of three generations jumping between differernt time periods.The author Kate Morton has written about their stories parellely hopping from one era to another.

It starts with a little girl of age 4 who is left stranded alone on a ship which sails from one continent to another.She has been promised by the lady which she calls 'Authoress' will take care of her.But when the ship sails and reaches to another continent, she finds herself lost and alone on the ship.When a kind man named Hugh sees her all by herself, he and his wife adopts her and names her Nell.This secret is never been told to her.But, 21 years later , her father confesses the truth to her.He also tells her that she was carrying only a little suitcase in which there was a book of Fairy Tales written by Eliza Makepiece along with some other contents in it.After learning the truth that the father and mother she always considered as her own were never hers, she feels completely devastated and lost.And then, off she goes to discover and find her own identity to some other country in some other continent.
Years later,Nells granddaughter Cassandra is been left a cottage somewhere in Europe as her only inheritance by Nell.To know about the mysterious cottage on a cliff, Cassandra too leaves in search of her own lost heritage finally to find out about Nell's past : Rose and Eliza.

I loved this book.The way the author has written the story about three generations parallelly is commendable ! The story keeps on jumping from one time period to another.I found the writing style very very intelligent.It is very difficult to write about three generations, unravelling the truth and mysteries behind and finally piecing up everything together.It is surely one of the very few huge books which I read quickly and wished that it would never end.'The Forgotten Garden' took me to an entirely different place, and into different eras.

I loved reading about Eliza the most.And mainly, I loved Eliza !!All the characters of this book are fleshed out wonderfully.The settings and the scenes in this book are very clearly written as well.Kate Morton is a fantastic story teller.

Now.I would not recommend this book to readers who like only fast paced books.It needs time and patience to start with! I couldn't put the book down once I caught whats happening in it.It became a page turner to me and I wanted to read more and more of it!

Oh..did I tell you that there are fairy tales in it ??!!

Booking Through Thursday(3) : Olympic Reading

2010-02-18T01:46:00.000-08:00

BTT:Oympic Reading

You may have noticed–the Winter Olympics are going on. Is that affecting your reading time? Have you read any Olympics-themed books? What do you think about the Olympics in general? Here’s your chance to discuss!

Nope.I don't watch them ! Mainly because I'm not much a sports fan. I get bored very soon ! And another reason is, I really don't have time to watch TV.I get only Sunday free..so why should I waste time in things I don't give much importance ? And no, I haven't read any Olympics-themed book :( But, if any of my friends are discussing about Olympics, I'm all ears !

So, what do you think about it ? Are there any good Olympics-themed books ?

My First Award !!!

2010-02-16T02:52:00.000-08:00

I received this cute blogger buddy award from Jami of YA Addict. She is so sweet and generous. Thank you so much for this award Jami.This is such an encouragement for me in the blogosphere !

OK.I will pass this sweet award to some awesome bloggers who were there with me when I had just stared blogging :)

Cherry

Lea

Ryan

Alyssa Kirk

Thanks all for your support :)

Review : Defenders of the scroll by Shiraz

2010-02-14T04:02:00.000-08:00

Title : Defenders of the scroll
Author: Shiraz

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

About the book:

A teenage boy.A dark wizard.A mystic scroll.
And the fate of a world hangs in the balance. . . When Alex “the Axeman” Logan is pulled from his world to help young princess Dara save her kingdom from the Shadow Lord, he thinks there has been a mistake. He’s a teen guitar player close to failing 11th grade, not some defender of the realm. All he has are some school books, his wits, and his love of fantasy movies. Overnight his life is history. Alex must confront the Shadow Lord and his minions when he is thrust into a land that has changed from a magical paradise to a barren, hopeless, helpless realm invaded by a dark army. But Alex is not alone. He has the help of Dara, a magic scroll, and a band of unlikely companions drawn from his own history books: a hardened Roman Legionnaire, a swift Japanese Samurai, a mighty African Warrior, a fiery Amazon Archer, and a spirited Shaolin Monk. Can Alex become more than he believes and lead his small band of Defenders to the Hall of Shadows, the birthplace of the Shadow Lord? The fate of the realm and everyone in it rests on him.

My Review:

When the powerful wizard and King of Mythos-Mornak gets imprisoned by the evil forces, his little 9 year old daughter 'Dara' is left alone to save herself and find a way to get his father out from the prison. All she is left with is a magical scroll given to her by her father.By her own power she accidentally summons a 15 year old boy Alex: a guitar -playing high school student to help and protect her.What comes next is Alex's journey to save Dara with the help of a magical scroll, his own history books and summoning a few others from another world and time : a hardened Roman Legionnaire, a swift Japanese Samurai, a mighty African Warrior, a fiery Amazon Archer, and a spirited Shaolin Monk.

Ahhh, what a unique and an awesome non-stop action packed fantasy book filled with adventures ! I loved it ! When I had picked up this book and checked its size, I really had no idea that I would finish it so early! But, the action started from the first page itself zapping me in the world of 'history, legend and lore' .There is danger lurking at every corner and every step! Even in difficult and dangerous times, there was hope, humor and a positive attitude shown by every character which I appreciated.This book didn't give me time to even think and mourn about the past events and I just couldn't stop reading it! Also, I have never read a book which is filled with so many characters in it.Major thing, all the characters are lovable,unique and are given equal importance! The description of the characters matches exactly to the way its printed on the book cover.I remember myself always turning to the book cover whenever any new character came and was described :)

OK, the hard work.I hate writing negatives about the book but, it has to be told !I loved this book, but, its not a standalone.It has abrupt ending and left me hanging somewhere in the middle! If I had the next book in the series, I would have jumped on it and started reading! I hope the next one releases soon and I get the chance to read it :)

P.S. Check http://www.defendersofthescroll.com/ and also the tailors here:

Oh, did I tell you that this book has a few pictures in it and the pages of this book are in the form of a scroll(I meant a scroll picture printed on the page and then the words printed on it)?! I just hope that someday this book will be turned into a movie ! I'm sure it will be awesome!

Booking Through Thursday (2): Encouragement

2010-02-11T00:32:00.000-08:00

BTT: Encouragement

Suggested by Barbara H:
How can you encourage a non-reading child to read? What about a teen-ager? Would you require books to be read in the hopes that they would enjoy them once they got into them, or offer incentives, or just suggest interesting books? If you do offer incentives and suggestions and that doesn’t work, would you then require a certain amount of reading? At what point do you just accept that your child is a non-reader?
In the book Gifted Hands by brilliant surgeon Ben Carson, one of the things that turned his life around was his mother’s requirement that he and his brother read books and write book reports for her. That approach worked with him, but I have been afraid to try it. My children don’t need to “turn their lives around,” but they would gain so much from reading and I think they would enjoy it so much if they would just stop telling themselves, “I just don’t like to read.”

There are so many great and lovely books for all age people now-a-days, and, I would really love to share them with my close ones. But, I can't force them to read. I once encouraged my 2-3 friends to read by asking and giving them books that intrigues them the most. But, it needs a lot of patience and concentration to start with.
I don't have kids.So in this case, I really do not know what I'll do with them.But, for little ones, I can always shut down all the other entertainments like TV, Internet, video-games for only an hour, so that they can just start and try reading a few pages.But if it doesn't work, then I think I'll just accept that this child is not a reader.Of course I'll feel sad, but thats what it is ! You simply can't force them to read !

Another thing is that, there is no perfect age for a person to read..I myself started reading from the age of 21.But now, books and I are inseparable !

What about you ? what do you think about this ?

Review : Hideaway by Dean Koontz

2010-02-09T01:55:00.000-08:00

Title : Hideaway
Author: Dean Koontz

Rating: 3.95 out of 5 stars

About the book:

He was clinically dead after the accident—but was miraculously revived. Now Hatch Harrison and his wife, Lindsey, approach each day with a new appreciation of life...shadowed by his glimpse of death.
Something has come back from the other side. A terrible presence that links Hatch's mind to a dangerous psychotic. A dark force of murderous rage that hides within us all...

My Review:

The back of the book says enough.So, I don't think I need to describe and elaborate a little more about the summary as I fear I will straight away lead to spoilers.

Ok.This is the first ever book that I have read of Dean Koontz.Actually, the reason I purchased this one was that all my guy friends love this author. So, I thought I would gift it to my papa.And, yes, he loved this book too !
I definitely liked Hideaway a lot..! Had to keep my patience for the initial pages to get used to the writing style as well as to know whats happening. After that, the book turned out to be a page turner ! The entire book till the last few pages is damn good ! I liked the plot, but I really got disappointed with the ending..It was childish..seriously !!

The scenes described in the book are very disturbing.The plot is definitely very strong and I found this one as very creepy and scary !

Recommened to the readers who love reading thrillers/creepy/haunting/suspense adult books !

On My Wishlist #1

2010-02-06T01:56:00.000-08:00

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted at Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. Its where we can list the books which we really want to read and want, but haven't bought it yet ! They can be old, new or forthcoming.If you want to know more click here.

Ahh, My wish list is never ending ! I want to read every book my dear bloggers read and review.Mostly all of them are in wish list as many of them are simply not available in the local library or not released in my country yet.

So, today the books I am totally craving for are :

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman (Taken from fantasticfiction.co.uk)

Synopsis :

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

Time of the Witches by Anna Myers (Taken from fantasticfiction.co.uk)

Synopsis :

An orphan named Drucilla has finally has a place to call home with the Putnam family in Salem. Although her adopted mother is strange - haunted by a troubled past - Dru feels drawn to her as the mother she never had. When a new reverend and his family move into town with their servant Tituba, life takes a strange turn as young girls begin to fall ill and accusations of witchcraft begin to swirl. Reluctant to turn her back on the Putnams or her peers and overwhelmed by the power of groupthink among the other girls in town, Dru becomes one of the accusers herself. But when her best friend Gabe is accused, she must find a way to end the hysteria, or risk losing him forever.

For today, these 2 are on top priorities ! So, whats on your wish list?

Review: Betrayed (House of Night, Book 2) by P. C. and Kristin Cast

2010-02-05T00:25:00.000-08:00

Title : Betrayed
Author: P. C. and Kristin Cast

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night finishing school. She finally feels like she belongs, even gets chosen as the Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, she actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

My Review:

This book kept me hooked from the start till the end. In spite of the writing style which is quite boring I still loved the book!! . Oh, and let me tell ya…what keeps me going is only the plot..thats it !
This book can be read even if you haven’t read Marked. The authors have explained whatever is necessary from the first book so that ‘Betrayed’ can be understood. Although, reading the first one will make you feel that you are with the characters from the beginning!

____________________________________-- SPOILER
For only those who have already read ‘Marked’ as this will contain some spoilers from the first book.

Although there was a lot of problem in ‘Marked’, ‘Betrayed’ is much much better than the prequel. Zoey is finally settled in the ‘House of Night’ and has started realizing her own affinities towards all the five elements. Also, now that she is the leader of dark daughters, her responsibilities have increased as well. But, Nyx has not bestowed such great powers on Zoey just so that she can be the leader of dark daughters!
Human teenagers are been killed in such a way that vampyers are been held responsible for these mysterious deaths. Zoey has to find out who is behind all these crimes. Unraveling these mysteries again, she finds deep secrets which she would not rather know if they were true. But, finally she has started realizing her own purpose in life and her responsibilities towards Nyx!
____________________________________-end

Hmm..the writing style hasn’t improved a bit! Its still repetitive! Also, the thought process going on in Zoey’s head is very very very explanatory and again very very very repetitive!! huuff ..!! But, I didn’t stop reading this one, as I simply skimmed over the pages when the same things were said again and again!

The plot is definitely becoming dark and dangerous as the story is moving forward..!

Booking Through Thursday (1): Winter Reading

2010-02-04T00:20:00.000-08:00

BTT: Winter Reading
The northern hemisphere, at least, is socked in by winter right now… So, on a cold, wintry day, when you want nothing more than to curl up with a good book on the couch … what kind of reading do you want to do?

Oh well, It doesn't snow where I stay, but it’s definitely cold here during winters.
If I have to start with a new one, I usually like to read fantasy books with happy endings like Jasmyn by Alex Bell. I also prefer any book which doesn't require me to think hard :)
But, my book choice definitely doesn't depend upon what season it is!

What kind of reading do you prefer ??

Review : Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast

2010-02-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

Title : Marked
Authors: P.C. and Kristin Cast

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About the book:

After she is Marked, 16-year-old Zoey Redbird enters the House of Night and learns that she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is mis-using her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny— with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

My Review:

This book describes a world where Vampyers are very common. The humans who get marked by the tracker are called as fledglings. Basically, they start to have biologically changes so that they can turn into Vampyers. To help this change there is a school called as ‘House of Night’. All these fledglings have to shift here for 4 years to become an adult vampyer and of course if they don’t want to die..again. When Zoey, who is 16 years old is been marked by the tracker she too has to shift to the ‘House of Night’! The main story starts here when Zoey is gifted with really great powers. And as they say, with great power comes great responsibility! The story keeps going on with her making new friends, learning new rules, rituals, customs, realizing her own powers and unraveling a lot secrets.

The book goes in its own pace as if the authors are telling us ‘Oh common, there are loads of books in the series!!’
This one is pretty slow and it catches speed after completing half of the book! Also, its too explanatory and repetitive which I found way too boring!
There were certain things which I didn’t agree with at all…!
First, pop culture references.
Second, makeup makes all girls losers!
Third, disliking a person who is unattractive and annoying even though the person hasn’t even done a single thing to Zoey.
Fourth, why is it being told that vampyers are way too beautiful and attractive? After all, humans turn into vampyers after having some biological changes in their body!!
Fifth, the continuous lecture and guilt of using slang words..Oh plz..!!
Sixth, why is there a mention of oral sex if this book is meant for young adults?!

Anyway, turning a blind eye on all these things was very easy for me as I really liked the plot very much. I didn’t find it very bad as many of the readers in Goodreads.com found. The story is really very fascinating and engaging. All those rituals, customs, rules described in the book are really amazing!
After finishing the book, I wanted to read the next in the series (Betrayed) too which is far better than Marked if I keep ignoring the faults..!

MegaBook Giveaway - The Sequel! by teensreadandwrite !

2010-01-31T02:05:00.000-08:00

MegaBook Giveaway - The Sequel!

A second mega giveaway is held by Teens Read And Write !

Click here to enter the contest !

The contest is open Internationally and ends at midnight PST on March 7, 2009.

So what are you waiting for ?? Go check out the awesome contest and be sure to enter to win fabulous books !

Review : Meridian by Amber Kizer

2010-01-31T01:02:00.000-08:00

Title : Meridian
Author: Amber Kizer

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.
Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

My Review:

I’ll get straight to the plot which I liked. Meridian, a 16 year old finds unusual things around her since her childhood. When she wakes up in the morning, she always finds herself covered with dead insects and sometimes even little animals like mice. Death has somehow always surrounded her which made her think that she was a total freak! Meridian kept herself resolute in the fear of causing death to whoever was around her until one day on her sixteenth birthday, a major accident happens around her house and she is been hustled of by her parents secretively to her great aunts place whom she has never met before. All that she knows about her Auntie is her Quilts which she gifts Meridian on her every birthday.
Once reached to the palace like house of her great aunt, she meets Tens there. A young handsome boy who takes care of the old lady- Auntie.
Here, Meridian finds her purpose of life and what she is!
Yes, meridian is a Fenestra. A Fenestra is a half human and a half Angel; a link between the living and the dead. As and how she learns her own abilities from her auntie, she also discovers about the Aternocti; a dark evil force which is trying to kill Meridian. She has to learn how to deal with her powers and also the Aternocti.

OK. loved the idea of Fenestra! It’s pretty unusual! But sadly, I couldn’t connect to any of the characters in the book. Amber Kizer is no doubt an excellent author, but, I was hoping that the characters of the book should have been fleshed out a little more. That was the only major problem with it. I would have given ‘Meridian’ 4 stars as this book is very different than the other paranormal ones; but, because of this major flaw, I would rate it as 3.5.

‘Meridian’ by Amber Kizer is very quick and easy to read book. A few messages have been passed between the lines and many things have been taught in this book about Life and death. I would definitely recommend you to read this one as it is no doubt a page turner.

Review : Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle

2010-01-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

Title : Planet of The Apes
Author: Pierre Boulle

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About the book:

First published more than thirty-five years ago, Pierre Boulle’s chilling novel launched one of the greatest science fiction sagas in motion picture history, from the classic 1968 movie starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell, through four sequels and two television series . . . and now the newest film adaptation directed by Tim Burton.

In the not-too-distant future, three astronauts land on what appears to be a planet just like Earth, with lush forests, a temperate climate, and breathable air. But while it appears to be a paradise, nothing is what it seems.

They soon discover the terrifying truth: On this world humans are savage beasts, and apes rule as their civilized masters. In an ironic novel of nonstop action and breathless intrigue, one man struggles to unlock the secret of a terrifying civilization, all the while wondering: Will he become the savior of the human race, or the final witness to its damnation? In a shocking climax that rivals that of the original movie, Boulle delivers the answer in a masterpiece of adventure, satire, and suspense.

My Review:

This book is a total work of fiction but very unbelievable! After reading a few pages, I thought it would be better for me if I keep my logical and practical brain apart from me and simply enjoy the book.

The story takes place in far future where a young couple is spending their holiday traveling in space in a ship. Well, a different kind of ship which is sort of a sphere with all the latest technologies installed in it. In the space they see an object floating. When they catch hold of it, they find a bottle! Inside it is a message !Actually this message is a set of loose papers, like a diary, written by someone named ‘Ulysse Merou ‘ who is a journalist and is narrating his own story. Very Interesting!!
So, the main story starts from here.. as Ulysse Merou and his 2 other companions land on a different planet similar to earth with all the trees, climate, water and breathable air! But, apart from the familiarities, this planet is very different than ours. Here, they find humans are actually not the same like the ones on Earth except for their appearances..! They are like savage beasts! The humans here don’t have a rational mind, any expressions on face and don’t wear clothes! But, this is not it! The major shock to them comes when they find that the APES are the ruling masters of this wonderful planet..! Apes are the ones who are civilized here. Actually, they are exactly the same as humans are here on Earth! ‘Ulysse Merou’ is the man who tries to solve the mystery and the ironic civilization of this planet.
I cannot say anything more about this book as it will lead straight to spoilers!!

Ok. This book is very different, funny in a way. It does get a little boring at times and not that great, but, overall I liked it. There are some surprising twists in the book which I liked.
There are few messages which are being passed through the novel. also The major one is ‘Be Kind to animals or rather any living being!’ you never know when the tables are turned!!

There is a movie based on this movie too, which I haven’t seen! So, I really cannot compare both :) This is a small book which is pretty quick to read and is good change when you are tired of reading the usual paranormal!

Review : A duke to die for by Amelia Grey

2010-01-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

Title : A duke to die for
Author: Amelia Grey

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the book:

When the rakish fifth duke of Bakewell’s unexpected and shockingly lovely new ward arrives, she claims to carry a curse that has brought each of her previous guardians to an untimely end. As she tries to persuade him to release her to manage her own future, and he tries to find her a suitable husband, they become scandalously entangled.
When several potentially deadly accidents befall the Duke, Henrietta is the only one who can help him..

My Review:

Henrietta, a young lady, is sweet, innocent, intelligent, bold, frank (or I must say not afraid to let her mind out) and a naïve girl who has a list of guardians to take care of her after her parents’ death. She was 7 when she lost both her mother and father; a tragic incident which still haunts and has left a mark on her. Anyway, all her guardians fall into an unexpected and unnatural death which leaves her to only believe that there is curse on everyone who will come forward to take her responsibility. After the death of all her previous guardians mentioned in the list, the last name left is of the Duke of Blakewell !
So, there she goes at his place and tells the entire story to the duke. Lucian has recently taken the position of the Duke of Blakewell after his father’s death. He is now the new young duke who is a rake and a scoundrel. He is sexy, young, wealthy, and an irresponsible man and spends his time in gambling and horse racing. But, apart from all this he is very good at heart and totally is a duke to die for!
So, with so much of responsibility already, he gets one more at his doorstep – Henrietta!! He wants to get rid of her and in order to do so, starts to find a suitable groom for Henrietta. But, destiny has something else in store for both of them with the curse hovering above their heads..!

Ok. There are some other important characters in the book which I thought to be villains almost till the middle of the book because it was pretty clearly written in that manner in the first few pages. But, they were not..! I think this contradiction was the only problem with the book, as there was no intention of keeping these characters a mystery for the readers.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but it does not top into my best read romantic books. The romance is no doubt very heartwarming. The chemistry which is been shown between Henrietta and Blake is very sweet. I could also picturize the lavish balls and the beautiful gowns described in the book which took me entirely into that era and the ambiance.
Amelia gray is a new author for me, and I liked this book which happens to be the first in the series. Would look forward to read the next one in the series!

Review : Abandoned by Anya Peters

2010-01-20T01:13:00.000-08:00

Title : Abandoned

Author: Anya Peters

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

About the book:

‘I was used to Daddy screaming “Whore’s child” at me, over and over again. But I couldn’t get used to the shame I felt afterwards. ’

Little Anya grew up in terror of the man she knew as ‘daddy’ – her drunken, bullying uncle who sexually abused her from the age of six. The only person she could trust was he woman she called ‘Mummy’.

When Anya’s uncle got careless and he began abusing her in front of the other children, Anya cracked. All her terrible secrets came pouring out. Then one day the only woman who loved her- her ‘Mummy’ – Left. After years of trying to overcome her childhood pain, Anya ended up homeless and living in her car on the streets of London.

‘Abandoned’ is Anya’s harrowing account of her ruined childhood and the inspirational story of how she painfully began to piece her life back together.

My Review:

I usually don’t prefer reading any non-fictions. But, the synopsis of this book just got me into reading this one!
I admit..! I almost skipped the first half of the book..!! ‘Anya peters’ was sexually abused by her uncle when she was only a child. The abuse scenes are so descriptive in this book that I just couldn’t get into reading them! Reading about what happened to her just made me cringe many a times! The second half of the book talks about her homelessness as an adult and how she tries to piece her life back together.Apart from this, the book is also about survival and courage! Its truly a wonder that a child survived through all this!
Its such a heartbreaking book, that I just don't know what more I should write about it.

‘Anya Peters‘ is an amazing writer and I truly hope she writes a fiction book in future!

Review : Going too far by Jennifer Echols

2010-01-16T00:33:00.000-08:00

Title : Going too far

Author: Jennifer Echols

Rating: 3.95 out of 5 stars

About the book:

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....

My Review:

Meg is shown as a total spoiled brat. She keeps changing her hair color from pink - purple – to - blue, wears too revealing clothes, has random boyfriends, loves breaking rules and often gets into troubles. Even her father has washed his hands from her. But, all Meg wants in her life is to get away from the small town , live in a big city and simply LIVE her life! But one night, she ends up doing something illegal with her friends, is caught by a cop named John After and is kept in prison for the entire night. To teach these kids lesson, cop After punishes them each by giving night duties in ambulance, fire department etc. Meg is been given a duty to be in a police car patrolling and catching criminals the entire night for an entire week with John After! Yes, the same cop who had her arrested!

The story/plot is not very different. It reminded me of a silhouette book. But, In spite of that, I liked the book overall. The humor is very good and I enjoyed it. Well, all credit goes to the author Jennifer Echols. She has written it so excellently that it actually made an ordinary story into a huge something.

It took me sometime to understand Meg’s character or rather, why she did what she did! But, as the story progresses, I got connected to her and understood her very well. John After is a super cool cop and a very good person indeed! One thing is for sure, he knows what he is doing, and is very mature for his age! I really liked the chemistry which is been shown between Meg and him. The dialogues, the interaction between them is been written very nicely!

And now, coming to the cover, Isn’t it very lovely??!!!! I picked this book only because of the cover! Seriously!!

Review : Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep

2010-01-12T06:11:00.000-08:00

Title : Karma Girl

Author: Jennifer Estep

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the book:

After dumping her supernaturally endowed, crime-fighting fiancée, reporter Carmen Cole left behind her sleepy southern hometown for the big city. Now, she’s deciding her life to unmasking the country’s most powerful heroes and biggest villains—making her public enemy number one of both the good guys and the bad guys.
Since her exposes have catapulted Carmen to stardom, hobnobbing with modelizing millionaires and famished fashionistas is all in a day’s work. But, when Carmen gets the scoop of her career, her life comes crashing down around her. And even Striker, the city’s sexiest crime-buster, may not be able to save her…

My Review:

If you are tired of reading paranormal romance books about vampires werewolves, goblins, witches etcetera etcetera… then ‘Karma Girl’ by Jennifer Estep is a perfect book for you.

Carmon Cole, a reporter, catches her fiancée and her best friend in a very..umm…’About to make out’ act just 30 minutes before her wedding! If that’s not enough, she also finds out that her fiancée is a superhero and her best friend/maid of honor is an ubervillain!! Totally devastated, heartbroken and betrayed she clicks their photo in that “act”, marches straight to her office, prints and exposes them on the first page of the next day’s newspaper! What else can a reporter girl do in such a situation? She takes a vow to unmask each and every superhero and ubervillain of world so that they can never ever hide the truth and cheat anyone. Never any other girl will suffer what she suffered..! Obviously, unmasking the superheroes and the ubervillain helps her get many offers from other newspapers. And thus, she climbs the ladder of success by revealing the identities of these heroes and villains and comes to Bigtime, NY. This is the city where worlds most powerful superheroes, ‘The Famous Five’ and ubervillains, ‘The Triads’ reside. Here she is been hired by the worlds most popular newspaper called ‘The Expose’. She reveals the identity of one of the members of “The Famous Five”. After this particular incident her life changes forever and is caught in the epic-battle of the superheroes and ubervillians. I guess that’s enough to tell you all about the story. To know what happens next, you will have to read the book.

I loved Carmen Cole; she is a nosy reporter, smart, funny, and not perfect at all. But, she also realizes her mistakes and tries to correct them. This girl believes in ‘Karma’ - the effects of a person's actions that determine his/her destiny. And here comes the hero. He is sensitive, kind-hearted, hot, and yes, super sexy!

This book is filled with excitement, dangers, twists and amidst all-- romance!! ‘Karma Girl’ is a perfect escape to another world full of superheroes, Ubervillians and of course normal humans. A super sexy book with a cool plot. This book is the first in the series and is a standalone. Just can’t wait to read the next one in the series now :)

Review : Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

2010-01-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

Title : Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My Review:

This story is about a teenage girl named Hannah Baker who went through a lot of ups and downs in her school life and ended up in committing suicide.
A set of audio tapes arrive at Clay Jensen’s house. When he opens it, he finds it from Hannah Baker, a girl who died a few days ago. He starts listening to the audio tapes, which are recorded in Hannah’s voice telling him the thirteen reasons why she died. And, yes, Clay is one of them. One after another many high school secrets and terrible facts about the students in his school are revealed. Some of them, he knows, and some he doesn’t.

Now, coming to what Hannah actually was. She was no doubt a very good human being and a kindred spirit. Wanted to enjoy her school life like a very normal teenager ,be happy, have true friends and eventually a boyfriend.But, apart from all this, she was very sensitive, fragile minded and emotionally vulnerable (Now, this is what I felt). This book tells the other side of ‘suicide’! We always hear that so and so person committed suicide .But, we never know the real reason behind it!!

WHY????? WHAT made her/him to take such a step??

Hannah’s safe haven has been destroyed by the Jerks she encounters with in her school. She gets a feeling of not feeling safe anywhere (Blame the jerks), disgusting games being played, betrayal by friends and many more! This book is about Hannah telling her side of story through her audio tapes and Clay who is listening to them and the thought process of his brain!

Ok, I am not very sure how I felt about the writing style of this book. The book picks up pace from the middle, till then, its slow and boring at times. I found Clay’s perspective or rather thought process very difficult to understand.
See, the story isn’t about me. I am not studying in the same school where he is. For me, when I start reading, everything is fresh, everything is new. Each and every person right from the beginning is a stranger for me. And yes, when the tape started, I couldn’t build the same excitement which went through Clay. Why? Because I don’t know the people Hannah mentioned. Its like, Clay is my friend, and I am listening to his story. But Somehow I can’t connect with the excitement or ‘Oh my gosh’ feeling that Clay is experiencing. Writing wise, that was the only problem with this book for me at least. But, then again, this was meant to be in this way.

Ok, The major things to tell. I thought that Hannah was –

1. Simply justifying her death by sending tapes and making them realize their mistakes!
2. She wanted to tell people that how #@$! rumors can spoil someone’s life and
3. How these things can affect someone’s psyche if they are not mentally strong.

(I DON’T EXPECT THAT EVERY PERSON WILL AGREE WITH WHAT I AM GOING TO SAY IN THE NEXT FEW LINES)
I think the book just tells us all a story; a story about a girl who committed suicide and what made her take this decision. The real message from the story is that no one should take other person for granted and should always know how their aftermaths can affect certain people in different ways even if they just shrug it off. That’s all. But, I really wanted the author (at least at the back of the book)
1. to give a reason to live for depressed people who are on the verge of committing suicide.
2. to tell that there is always a ray of hope and there is always a way out.
3. to believe in ‘Expect the least, you get the best!’ (That doesn’t mean you don’t expect at all, but also be prepared for the worst!).
4. to tell that you will find countless stupid, self obsessed, egoistic morons everywhere. But, life is wonderful and you need to live the most of it without letting them spoil it.
5. To tell that guilty conscience is OK. To overcome that, you should try and gather your strength to correct the wrongs you did. And,
6. to tell that Hannah died because of her own reasons and of her own psyche problems.

I don’t blame Hannah at all. NOPE(not that I support her being suicidal)! She was just a young, innocent and a deeply hurt and unstable girl. The people who Hannah met in her life were a bunch of idiots! But again, we always face such people in life at some point of time. Everybody does!!!! It depends simply on how each and every individual takes it and respond towards it! The sad thing was, that Hannah could not turn for help towards anyone (Blame the jerks).

The author Jay Asher mentioned about her leaving her previous town for some reason which he hasn’t stated clearly. Something had happened in her past and she wanted to escape from there (I wonder what?). She wanted to start fresh in a new town. And there she comes with lots of hopes only to find out that they are gonna get crushed miserably! So miserably that she will have only one option left in front of her! I guess the real reason for her to make decision about committing suicide is that she couldn’t stop certain things to happen, in spite of knowing that she could have! Guilty conscience!! THE MAJOR THING!
If you are in the power to stop anything wrong to happen, and when you don’t, your guilty conscience can make you think and do horrible things to yourself.
The author Jay has written this novel beautifully. He was definitely able to go through the mind set of young teen’s problems! This book is written in a very unique manner. He has told us that closing yourself, or simply hinting at the problems we have cannot solve anything! Jay Asher also says that only one person cannot be responsible for anyone to commit suicide. It is never an aggressive decision. It tells how every person’s deeds affect or at least leave a mark on other person’s life. And, one shouldn’t take anyone/anything for granted. He tells us what kind of problems young teens face everyday.

I never really understood why people committed suicide. But now, I do.
I totally give him credit to make me think things which I never thought about before. Also I owe him for the thoughts (that came while I was reading) which I mentioned I wanted him to explain in the book. This book has definitely made me think and scratch my head a lot!

SPOILER_________________________________________________________________
Now, I found some things weird here –
1. With all this, where were her parents??
2. Clay got only one message from her tapes. He should take a step forward and not be shy and control his feelings!! The end was a little funny for me.
__________________________________________________________________________

The entire concept of the book is very sensitive and open for a lot of discussion.
I hope I haven’t offended anyone by saying things which I felt about this book/topic. If I have, I am truly sorry.

Review : Jasmyn by Alex Bell

2010-01-06T05:25:00.000-08:00

Title : Jasmyn

Author: Alex Bell

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

About the book:

One day, without warning, Jasmyn’s husband died of an aneurysm.

Since then, everything has been different. Wrapped up in her grief, Jasmyn is trapped in a world without colour, without flavour – without Liam. But even through the haze of misery she begins to notice strange events. Even with Liam gone, things are not as they should be, and eventually Jasmyn begins to explore the mysteries that have sprung up after her husband’s death… and follow their trail back into the events of his life.

But the mysteries are deeper than Jasmyn expects, and are leading her in unexpected directions – into fairytales filled with swans, castles and bones; into a tale of a murder committed by a lake and a vicious battle between brothers; into a story of a lost past, and a stolen love. She’s entering a magical story.

Jasmyn’s story.

My Review:

‘Jasmyn’ by Alex Bell is a beautiful book. You have to read it!!
The story is not any kind of retelling, but it definitely revolves around a myth/fairytale, which I won’t disclose here as I am afraid, that will lead to spoilers.

Jasmyn is a widow of 27 year old and has recently lost her husband Liam. The story starts into action right from the first chapter. During Liam’s funeral, some black swans fall from the sky on the ground. Since then, one after the other, strange things start happening. She gets the feeling of being watched and followed by someone. One day, Liam’s dangerous friend who is unaware of Liam’s death shows up at her house and barges in to find Liam. Eventually she comes to know that Liam had lied about the places he said he had visited; instead he had gone somewhere else.

But one day, when Jasmyn goes to Liam’s study, she finds a book open to the last page in front of her. The page was detailing how to identify the devil’s familiars when they disguised themselves as animals and how any black animal could be linked with the devil – black cats, clack dogs, black swans..
And there, she shudders at the mention of the swans.
With the help of her cold rude brother-in-law Ben, she starts unfolding mysteries behind all the strange happenings which take her to enchanted castles, mysterious lakes and into a strange world where every thing is magic!

This is a book that you would definitely want to finish in one sitting.
I loved Jasmyn. She is too real to accept. Everyone knows about this famous quote ‘Think before you act! ’; Well, Jasmyn definitely fits into it! The longing and the grief which Jasmyn faces after she looses her husband is been written excellently. Another thing, I googled the places mentioned in the book and they are real. I don’t want to write more about this book and spoil the fun for you. I would just say one thing. If you like myths, grown up fairy tells and fantasy, you would definitely enjoy ‘Jasmyn’ .Alex Bell takes you into an entirely different world from which you do not wish to return. I am so happy that I read it.

Review : Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

2009-12-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

Title : Hush, Hush

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About the book:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

My Review:

When I had picked this book, I thought it must be a fantasy filled with romance. But, the story is much of a mystery thriller which I didn’t mind at all. I really don’t know what I think about the book. I really liked it very much, but on the other hand, I found certain things very annoying! I would not allow any of my cousins below 17 to read this book. It would unnecessarily give stupid ideas to them.

Nora, a sixteen year old has lost her father a year ago, and lives with her mother outside the city in a farmhouse which is always, somehow surrounded by thick fog, which gives the old house a creepy and a haunting look. Nora’s mother works for an auction company that requires a lot of traveling because of which she has to leave Nora home alone with a nanny who also leaves the house in the night. Nora is very sincere in her studies, and none of the guys in her school has captured her attention yet. I liked the fact that Nora is not shown dumb. She has a mind of her own. Also, conveniently intelligent I must say.

Patch, is the new guy in her school, recently transferred and has been paired with Nora in a Biology assignment. Nora’s instincts tell her that something is not right with Patch, but still she is very curious about him. Her curiosity leads Nora and best friend Vee investigating about him and his past.
The most entertaining of all is Vee. She is Nora’s best friend. And the dialogues which are being shared between them are entertaining.

Patch is very attractive and sexy but he is also very, very dangerous and creepy most of the times. He has a dark history and has different intentions for Nora. He is always lurking around her like a complete psycho stalker! Initially, Nora is shown intelligent enough to keep distance between herself and Patch. But, why oh why does she get into so much of trouble to find about him and his past??!! I simply didn’t understand.
Also, I personally would not like any guy to trap me in a corner and scare me to death!! No way please!!! I am such a chicken in these matters that I would never go and start investigating about a guy who makes me feel uncomfortable..! I mean really, does only attraction and curiosity to know someone kill your intelligence too?

************ SPOILER ***************************************************

Nora doesn’t trust him completely till the start of the main action scene in the end. Suddenly and abruptly, she is ready to give up her life for him??!! Who would give up their life for a guy whom you don’t trust? One moment she is unsure about him and the other moment, all her emotions are welled up and is ready to sacrifice her life for him so that he lives a normal human life??!! WTF!

***************End******************************************************

I didn’t find much romance or rather true love in this book. Attraction, curiosity, lust? Oh yes! Its all there. I have heard that ‘Twilight’ and ‘Hush, Hush’ are same in many terms, especially Edward from ‘Twilight’ and Patch from ‘Hush, Hush’. But no, I really don’t think so. Edward didn’t scare me like Patch did. He didn’t give me single reason to fall in love with him. Patch is creepy, dangerous, talking nonsense many a times in class.

The book is no doubt written excellently. I found this book very entertaining as I have ignored a few things which I already mentioned. The second half of the book is amazing and very frightening! The authors writing style is simply too good and commendable. The story is different, especially the mythical part and also the twists and turns which are given to the story. It definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. I am totally ready to read a sequel of this book if it is released.

P.S. I want to tell young girls to not fall in love with any person whose character resembles Patch. The book is a fantasy and is not real. In the end of this book, there is a happy ending, but in reality, this might not be the case and you would simply end up in trouble.

Review : The Hollow Kingdom(book 1) by Clare B. Dunkle

2009-12-27T00:55:00.000-08:00

Title:The Hollow Kingdom

Author: Clare B. Dunkle

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Usually I don’t settle up buying any series book. But, one fine day, I went to the book shop where there was this crazy sale going on. I picked ‘The Hollow Kingdom’ (the first in a trilogy) instantly as the cover attracted my attention. No..no, I really don’t deny that a book cover Influences me a lot when I ‘m browsing the books that I haven’t ever heard of ! Anyway, when I read the back of the book, I loved it more! And so, I bought it! And now, I really want the next in the series, but can’t find it in the shop :( See, that’s the reason I don’t settle down with any series book!!

Ok, enough of my nonsense talks. Let me tell you what I felt about ‘The Hollow Kingdom’!

About the book:

Hallow Hill has a strange and tragic history. For thousands of years, young women have been vanishing from the estate, never to be seen again. Now Kate and Emily have come to live at Hallow Hill. Brought up in a civilized age, they have no idea of the land’s dreadful heritage – until, that is, Marak decides to tell them himself.

Intelligent, pleasant, and completely pitiless, Marak is a powerful magician who claims to be a goblin king – and he has very specific plans for the two new girls who have trespassed into his kingdom.

My Review:

Kate and Emily are recently orphaned and have come to live in hallow hill with their aunts and a very cunning legal guardian named Hugh Roberts. The two sisters were coming home to land and relatives they had never seen before. A mysterious place with a dreadful past! On Their first expedition to the forests, Kate and Emily are lost while coming home and stumble upon a band of gypsies. Emily is a sweet little girl and finds it very interesting. But, Kate’s instincts tell her that something is not quite right. Unfortunately, Kate catches the attention of Marak, a goblin king. He has different intentions for Kate and Emily, and as soon as Kate finds it out, she does everything possible from her side to stop the dreadful things happening. I must say, at times, I was scared for Kate and Emily. But their adventures are full of surprises, turns and twists which eventually lead them to their fate.

I liked the fact that Kate Winslow is not shown dumb and stupid. She is smart, intelligent, independent, clever, very brave, believing and following her own instincts, and can do anything and everything possible to save her dear sister Emily from any trouble. The characters of this book are written very cleverly and the scenes are properly fleshed out.

This is not an exactly a love at first sight romance story, but, the way it built up, it touched my heart. (Did I tell you that there’s no kissing scene in it..!!??)
The book also tells you that “True beauty lies within the heart and soul! “.

In spite of the fact that, this book is the first in the series, it is a standalone. I really liked this book a lot. The entire 19th century setups, a remote place called hallow hill, the woods, the lake and the story kept me on the edge.
It’s a wonderfully written book that will take you completely to the classic supernatural world. A place where there are millions of stories and secrets buried deep in the Hollow kingdom.

Review : Witch & Wizard by James Patterson with Gabrielle Charbonnet

2009-12-15T03:19:00.000-08:00

Title : Witch & Wizard
Author: James Patterson with Gabrielle Charbonnet
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Won From Cherrymischievous :)

About the book:

The world is changing: the government has seized control of every aspect of society, and now, kids are disappearing. For 15-year-old Wisty and her older brother Whit, life turns upside down when they are torn from their parents one night and slammed into a secret prison for no reason they can comprehend. The New Order, as it is known, is clearly trying to suppress Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Being a Normal Teenager. But while trapped in this totalitarian nightmare, Wisty and Whit discover they have incredible powers they'd never dreamed of. Can this newly minted witch and wizard master their skills in time to save themselves, their parents--and maybe the world?

My Review:

A little something about the book….
‘Witch & Wizard’ by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet is about siblings Whit and Wisty Allgood. It starts with the ‘New order’ taking control over the government, and barging in the middle of the night at The Allgood’s residence with the full pack of armed soldiers. There’s chaos everywhere. The siblings do not understand the reason of this invasion..! And then, a total shock comes. Wisty Allgood and Whit Allgood are been taken under trial and are accused of being a witch and a wizard..!! Now, here the Story begins. Whit and Wisty are taken away and separated by their family by the ‘New order’ and thrown away in a prison. Once there, they get to know that they are not the only ones held for trial and execution. There are thousands of Kids in the prison arrested for different crimes like chewing a gum on streets, listening to music and blah blah.
The book says “The New Order is a bright new future. It is a future that replaces the corrupting and illusory freedoms of so-called democracies and replaces them with a higher discipline. It has taken many, many years of planning, strategic political postings, scientific polling, demographic research, precise messaging and carefully monitored elections “

Wisty and Whit are not aware of their magical skills or the fact, that they are actually the Witch and the Wizard. And here in the prison, their power starts growing. They don’t have any control over it. They have to discover their hidden powers and abilities in time, stand against the ‘New Order’ and fight back to save themselves, their parents and maybe the world?

The ‘Witch & Wizard’ is about both, the witch and the wizard, and not of only one sibling. I felt that a little less power to one of the siblings was given, where as the book is about both of them!! I understand that there is going to be sequel to this one, but, I felt that the story was less, but was creatively covered by the writing style. This book would have been very small otherwise. Sometimes, I even felt that it’s a mix up of many fantasy books. One more thing, the perspective of the book changes randomly and conveniently! Its like, once adjusted to one’s viewpoint, it changes, suddenly!!

I hate to say that I am not very impressed by this book. There was no punch in it!! You know, like, after finishing a particular book, the characters of the book always linger with you. But, here, that was totally not the case. After I was done reading this book, I didn’t feel the effect of it. This book, I should say is meant for the kids of the age 9 – 12. It’s actually very childish, and does not fit into a YA category. Now, considering that the book is for preteens, I would say that I liked this book. For me, it was an OKAY book because I read the whole book and wanted to know what happens next. Never did I think about putting the book down while I was reading. I would definitely say that ‘Witch & Wizard’ is a very easy,entertaining and a straight forward read. I would recommend this one to the preteens. I think they would love it!

Win CHRISTMAS HAMPER(Books)& Poison Study at Cherry Mischievous

2009-12-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

1. Poison Study Giveaway !

Cherry Mischievous is giving away a new copy of Poison Study.

Contest is open to international readers and ends on January 15, 2010.

Contest Link: Click here to go to the contest.

2. Win Christmas Hamper !!!

Cherry Mischievous is going to have a Christmas give away..End Date : Dec 31.

Here, Let me copy the details of the same post here for you all...

announced previously, this December, we are going to have a Christmas give away and spread the good cheer of Christmas!!

To start off with, tell me what books you like to be included in the giveaways so that the books in our Christmas Hamper would be something everybody likes :)

But let me start the Christmas Hamper with:

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan
Storm Front by Jim Butcher (18s only)
Lover Eternal by JR Ward (18s only)

So this is the thing: the above list is only a preliminary hamper contents list. It might grow as we go along, it might not. So there will be many winners. The first winner gets the first pick, the second winner gets to pick second of whatever is still in the hamper, and so on... So number of winners will depend on how big a hamper we have at the end of the contest. It could also be that the first winner will get to pick four books, the second winner gets to pick three and so on. Again depending on how big a hamper we have. So, the final prizes and winners really, will be announced at the end of this Christmas Hamper contest. I'm keeping things flexible here. To enter the contest is easy, all you have to do is register! That's it!

To enter the contest you have to register here.

However you can also gain extra chances of winning by spreading the word, i.e., blog about it, post about this Christmas Hamper thingy in a website, la di bla di bla. As long as you have access and rights to do so. Do not post this contest on someone else's fansite where you come across as "advertising without consent", for example. That is sooo not good! For questions, clarifications, suggestions, or you just want to rant, email us. Please write: CHRISTMAS HAMPER in the subject line and hopefully your email will get through to me and not in the spam folder. If not, write something in the comments section for me to look into the matter.

Contest Rules:

You have to be a Cherry Mischievous blog follower via Google Connect to enter the contest.
Contest is open to international readers.
Contest ends on Dec 31. Prizes to go out after the new year holidays when the post office re-opens. Winners will be announced after Dec 31.
For books which is for 18s only, you must be 18 or older to accept them. If you are under 18, you are to declare so and choose another book.
If this contest is not in concordance to your local legislations, it is up to you to follow your local rules.
You must have a valid snail mail address and email address to enter this contest. We need the snail mail address to send the book to. We need the email addy to get in touch with you.
Questions? Ask! Shoot us an email. Please write CHRISTMAS HAMPER in the subject line.
Merry Christmas!!!

UPDATE: 03/Dec/2009:
Adding to the hamper:

An Enchanted Season Anthology by Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, Jean Johnson

So, What are you waiting for ?? Go enter the Contest !!!

Review : Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill

2009-12-10T01:51:00.000-08:00

Title : Heart Shaped Box
Author: Joe Hill
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.

I will "sell" my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder. . . .
For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts—of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?

But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.

And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting—with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . .

A multiple-award winner for his short fiction, author Joe Hill immediately vaults into the top echelon of dark fantasists with a blood-chilling roller-coaster ride of a novel, a masterwork brimming with relentless thrills and acid terror.

My Review:

Okk..Time for my review after a long time!
I didn't love this book. I am a little disappointed as I did not find it frightening at all. I couldn't feel any ghost lurking around my bed while I was reading this book .Nor did I tuck myself in loads of blankets :( !! And I am totally disappointed :(

The story starts with a heavy-metal star Jude/Judas Coyne buying an old man’s haunted suit over the internet with an intention of adding an artifact in his collection! And yes, the suit comes in a heart shaped box..!
The author has built the characters nicely with his writing style. Judas Coyne is an ex-rock star, has his own record company, collector of strange and macabre items, lives with two dogs, has an office in his house where his assistant Danny works and also has a Goth girlfriend named Georgia/Marybeth who is 30 years younger to him! The description of the book says a lot.

I really waited for myself to be scared, but no, I wasn’t. It’s more of a thriller that a ghost book. I was even bored sometimes while I was reading this book. I won’t say that I hated it, but I didn’t like it much either! The end of the book is a complete attempt of not winding it off, but you can make it out! Sometimes I even thought that the vengeful ghost is actually very funny!! Seriously! I mean, whenever he is there, he starts hypnotizing..!! But can’t blame, that’s the only way he can harm Jude Coyne! I won’t say who the ghost is and why does he haunt Jude Coyne. You will have to read it yourself; else you will loose the interest in the story.

Hmm…I can’t say that the book is scary or haunting. But yes, it’s definitely disturbing to know about mostly all character’s dark past! The balance between imagination and reality described in the book is good and not confusing at all. The entry and the description of the ghost are good. The description, and the way it scared Jude was also…..good. But later when the ghost starts hypnotizing them, is really funny! I mean it!
I would give 2.5 stars to ‘Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill’ firstly because I wanted to know what happened with all of them by the end of the book. Next, for the writing style. And mainly as the main characters in the book did not quit..! They fought till their last breath!

I would surely suggest you to definitely read it once. It’s not that bad. It’s me, who hasn’t liked this book much, maybe because I expected a lot as I had read great reviews about it. Also, I am not easily scared by any horror movies or books. That’s why this book did have any haunting effect on me.

Let it Happen !

2009-12-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am so sorry, I really don't have time these days to blog.But mainly, I am not able to hear about new books and to read what my dear bloggers write.But I can't help it as I am and will be busy in my sister's wedding preparations for a few days.Its so much of work...I am totally excited !!! Soon my sister is getting married.Will definitely post about it when I get ample of time the next time I blog.But for now, I have managed to get my computer for sometime and I am totally going to make use of it.

Heres something which I had written when I was 14.I don't even remember what My inspiration was, but I am damn sure, I must have read some of the ''Mira Magazines' which I used to get when I was in school ! As I don't have anything to post now, I will post the essay which I had written long back :) Here it goes.....

We human beings sometimes tend to do things the hard way! There have been times in my life and I am sure there have been in yours, when I tried and tried to work something out. Concerned because I could not see the answer, I became tense and impatient. Then there came a time when I said to myself “Worrying does not help. Whatever happens happens!”
And, almost miraculously, incredibly, things started falling in place and working out in a smooth and harmonious way. What happened is that, I applied the principle of “let it Happen.”

We feel that we are supposed to make things happen, so we flail away at each of the separate circumstances and conditions that come up in our life. But there is an easy way to meet each problem, circumstance, or experience. The way is to let it Happen.

In many books, articles, and lessons we read the phrase “Let go and let god.” There is another way of saying,”let it happen.”

Think of all people who are actually making themselves sick and unhappy, because they are trying to force a solution to a problem by pushing , worrying , crying , getting upset. There are parents worried over their children; there are men and women unhappy and lonely because they feel their happiness depends on a certain women or a man. There are people concerned about the symptoms of ill-health, about getting old, about money, about business, about the state of the world, about men from mars or whatever….you name the most fantastic thing you can think about, and I’ll bet there is someone who is making himself unhappy and miserable worrying about it !

By letting it happen or letting it flow, I do not mean that you do nothing. Sometimes it may seem the most difficult thing you have to do is to relax, to let go, to get yourself out of the way, but until you do, you are not able to act as effectively as you should. So when u let it happen, you find that all kinds of ideas come to you to act upon. And not only ideas but also the strength and wisdom to carry them out.

Now how do you relate all this to whatever it is that you are worrying and upset about? Whether you are worrying about the child, a love affair, a business deal, a sickness Symptom, selling a house, or whatever, just make up your mind that you are going to get yourself out of the way !! You will definitely find that all the things are going smoothly, beautifully, with satisfaction beyond your expectations.

So remember, relax. The words relax and release have a common root meaning. To
relax is to release negative emotions , attitudes.
You were not created to live by the sweat of your brow. You were created in likeness, with responsibilities, yes, but also with the power and resources to handle all things easily, effortlessly, and successfully.

Let it happen! Let go and let god.

Review : The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2009-11-18T00:28:00.000-08:00

Title : The Hunger games

Author : Suzanne Collins

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

About the book:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

My Review

Breathtaking!! Mind-blowing!! Mind blasting!!This is what I should say about this book! It was full of mystery, adventure and a little bit of romance. I kept on biting my nails the entire time while I was reading this book!! I have also heard that a movie is coming up on this book. There are many details, plots, incidents in the book, that I really have doubts about the movie! Anyway, time to write something about “Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins“.

The nation of Panem has risen from the ruins of North America. From here the Capitol rules over the surrounding districts. One district went against the Powerful Capitol and soon there was nothing left of it. For preventing further rebellion, the capitol instills fear and terror among all the remaining districts. This is done by Hunger games which are kept every year!

The Capitol forces every district to send 2 contestants for Hunger games on the reaping day. They call them as ‘Tributes’!!! These contestants are of the age 12 to 18. This is done by picking randomly a chit from the bowl which has numerous others as well. When the chit comes up, Prim’s name is been announced as a tribute to the Hunger Games. Katniss, Our main heroine of the story loves her sister more than anything in the world. How could she let her little sister go there?? And so she volunteers to go to the games instead of Prim. Katniss and Peeta are the 2 tributes from District 12.Together they go the Capitol and get ready for "The Hunger Games".From here, the adventure starts! I won’t go into much details here.

Hunger games is all about brutal killing, being hungry for days, bleeding to death and everything else a person doesn’t wish to even have a nightmare of. Here, all the 24 contestants from 12 Districts have to fight with each other in an arena which is constructed specially for Hunger Games by the Capitol.

I have read a few YA novels, but Katniss is the one I have loved the most. Having faced hard times umpteen times, she knows how to survive. Very smart, clever, kind and has amazing skills for hunting. Katniss Everdeen is a coal miner’s daughter whose father died in an explosion five years ago. Since then she has taken care of her family. She hunts illegally in the woods and sells and trades meat, fruits etc to the people in her District. That’s the only way she can feed her mother and a 12 year old sister Primrose. The only way of her survival gives her an advantage of trying to get survived in the Arena. When you don’t have anything to eat, drink and are stuck up in a jungle, you sometimes tend to loose humanity!! But, Katniss has not lost it yet and still has mercy left for others.

This book is a standalone in its own way. It’s like, one chapter has closed, but there’s more to come!! I am totally waiting to read the next book in the series titled ‘Catching Fire’ .

Random Update :)

2009-11-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

Yipeeeeeeeeeeee !! This is the first ever book that I have won and I am so excited about it.I even clicked a picture of this as a remembrance.I won it from Donna's blog, and I thank her to give me a chance of reading it.

I'm from India.Only the books that have a very high demand('Twilight Series, Hunger games etc')are available here.Otherwise, you either order it or keep filling contests like me.

So anyway, as I was about to begin reading this one, my sister took it away from me saying she wants to read it first !! Me being the younger one had to obediently accept her decision and with a heart ache I simply gave her to read it.. !!

Oh, common, me not too obedient you see!! Its just that she is getting married by this month end, and wanted to read this book before she goes !

So now I am left with the other books.I am already done with the "Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins" and will write a review soon.But one thing I would say now, I LOVED IT !!

I guess now I should go ahead with Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.Haven't read any reviews of this particular book, as I am scared of reading spoilers ! Just know that's its been loved by all ! I hope it gives me goose bumps, what say you guys ? have you read this one ? Did it scare you much that you tucked yourself in a blanket while you were reading ?

Review : the EVERAFTER by Amy Huntley

2009-11-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

Title : The Everafter

Author: Amy Huntley

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Madison Stanton doesn't know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this--she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can re-experience--and sometimes even change--moments from her life.

Her first kiss.

A trip to Disney World.

Her sister's wedding.

A disastrous sleepover.

In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life--and death.

My Review

Ok. Writing a review of this book was really difficult for me.

This book starts with the line “I’m Dead. “.Now, that’s what made me really curious to read the book! It’s about a girl named Madison Stanton. She is curious, frightened, isolated, and lonely and above all stuck up in vast, dark place called IS. At least this is what she names it! All she can see is a ring of light. She doesn’t know how to get out of IS. And in trying hard to do so, she finds different kinds of objects like a bracelet, Orchids, sweatshirt, a ticket, Ring, piece of paper, peas and many more. Now she is totally confused. Somehow she does remember them, one by one, each taking her back to relive those moments, the snippets of her life and sometimes even change them. Madison is surrounded with a pool of mysteries and she is resolved to solve them. As and how she relives these moments, Madison learns “illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life-and death”, as the back of the book says.

I loved the way how Madison drew meaning from incidents and related to the object in question. I did not find it haunting at all. I wasn’t sad because she was dead, as I knew that she did exist, if not in body, but in soul. A person's energy never dies, it always exists in some or the other form. And this is the state where Madison is.

I found the initial part of the book a little confusing, but then, later it sorted itself out. The way author Amy Huntley has written the book from the start is amazing. I could feel and go through what Madison had been through. Trapped, Frustrated in the same moments where she was.

In short, I loved the book. All in all, a different YA book with not much high school drama involved and with a perfect ending.Do read it !

Review : Wings by Aprilynne Pike

2009-11-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

Title : Wings

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Aprilynne Pike's best-selling debut, WINGS, is the first of four books about a seemingly ordinary girl named Laurel who discovers she is a faerie. When Laurel is thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love. In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

My Review

I was waiting for this book to be in the store, and when my sister got it, I was very very happy. I actually fought with her because I wanted to read it first! But, after reading it, I know, I shouldn't have.

OK, now let me tell you a little about this book. Laurel is the main character of the story. She is 15 years old, home schooled from the beginning and living in a small town. There they have their beautiful home built on a land which is in the name of Laurel’s mother. But due to financial problems, Laurel’s family decides to shift in a different place. But here, she has to join High School. She finds difficult in the beginning to settle in her school, but then, it becomes easy with her new friend named David. Oh yes, he is head over heels for Laurel! He is always there to help her with her troubles.

One fine day, she finds a bump on her back! She is terrified by it. The bump grows into a beautiful flower after a few days. Now, I really liked this concept. Usually there are wings, but here there is a plant growing on her back.

I found the book ok, but I am disappointed with the way it ends. Agreed it has a sequel, but I think that every book should be complete in itself. Also I didn't like the way the romance part ended :( Till the end of this book, I thought that maybe, David is some kind of a supernatural creature too. But, alas, he wasn’t. I couldn't picturize the places which the author has described in it. It was a little too fast. I know this is a YA book, but, this is more appropriate for children below age 14.They will surely love it, as they won’t go into much details and complications.

I am sorry, but I couldn’t help myself comparing this book with “Behind Every Illusion by Christina Harner”, which I loved!!

But otherwise, the entire book is nice. It kept me hooked. The way she recognizes her own abilities is amazing. Also, the battle which is been shown between the good and the evil (won’t go into details) is really fascinating. I think the next book in this series should be interesting.

Review : Memoirs of a Fortune Teller by Gary Tureotte

2009-11-06T01:51:00.000-08:00

Title : Memoirs of a Fortune Teller

Author: Gary Tureotte
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Mary Ann was a travelling fortune teller.She knew everyone's future, but her own.She left this journal with many disturbing readings.

My Review

“Memoirs of a fortune teller” tells you about the life of a fortune teller named Mary Ann from her point of view. Mary Ann is been gifted by her mother with a rare and a special gift of telling the fortunes of other people, but her own by just having contact with their skin or by having contact with the person’s belongings. Mary Ann takes it as a blessing and travels around the country working as a carnival fortune teller.

But as and how she reads, predicts the person’s past, present and the future, somehow the fortune of some people gets tied together to her own fortune. Trapped in this tangled web, she now finds her own life in danger. She leaves behind a journal in which all these things which she has read, predicted and experienced are being penned down.

Most of the readings by Mary Ann were really very disturbing. Very few people had a happy past. If this book would have been fleshed out more, it would have been much better. What I mean to say is that if the horrifying scenes, the twists or the suspense in the book would have been elaborated a little more, then I would have loved it. Not that I say its bad.

But then again, the book is one quick read, different and is a fiction. I read the entire book in just 3 hours. Well there are some twists and turns in the book which are pretty abrupt, but then the overall book is good.

Oh, did I tell you that there is also a sequel to this book called ‘Vigilante witch Hunter’. I am definitely going to read it If I get it.

Review : The Grand Finale by Janet Evanovich

2009-10-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

Title : The Grand Finale

Author: Janet Evanovich

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Berry Knudson had a talent for disaster, but when she climbed a tree to rescue a kitten, she wasn't prepared for the scrumptious hunk undressing in a nearby window, or her dive downward that smashed Jake Sawyer's pizza and won his heart! But was there room in her chaotic schedule for a risk-taking inventor with dreams? She took classes, delivered pizzas, and cared for three eccentric old ladies she rescued from the train station. But Jake thrived on a challenge, and he could be very inventive. Could he teach her there was time to make butterscotch pudding and let herself be loved?

My Review

Now, before I start, let me put some light upon the character 'Berry Knudson'.She is optimistic, a very kindred spirit, goes out of her way to help people. Also she is loyal, resilient, slightly daffy, kind to old ladies, stubborn, a bit tempered as the book says. In short, she is Miss ‘GOODY TWO-SHOES’.

The story starts with Berry hearing a kitty cry, climbing the tree, rescuing the kitten, seeing an almost naked man and then, finally falling down from a tree. After that all she can see is some huge person bent over her. And so, the journey of a romantic tale begins.Who knew that a kitten can bring two people together to fall in love with each other? Now that’s what I call, “destiny”.

Now, Coming to the man with whom Berry falls in love with.His name is 'Jake Sawyer'.Well, there is nothing much to say about him, except that he is a very sexy looking man. Now, Of course, he has a profession!! He was an inventor, but after certain events, he eventually becomes an elementary teacher.

This is the very first book of Janet Evanovich which I have read. I always had a smile on my face while I was reading it. It’s very cute, funny and an easy read. If you ever want to read a quick romantic comedy, for which you don’t want to think why and how did it happen, then I would definitely suggest this book.

Review : Evermore by Alyson Noel

2009-10-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Title : Evermore

Author: Alyson Noel

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste...

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

My Review

Evermore is about a 16 year old girl named Ever who was the part of the popular crowd of the High School, but then suddenly after a fatal accident she turns into a huge freak.She has to change her school and go stay with her aunt. She acquires a unique gift of seeing people's auras, hear thoughts by just touching them.And then, suddenly, everything changes in her life when she meets Damen Auguste. Damen is the only person around Ever who can silence "noise and random energy" as the back of the book says.

I feel the author has been inspired by Stephanie Meyer's Twilight :)

Although the two books are not similar except for the immortality concept, for the first few pages I couldn't help comparing it with Twilight.

Evermore is a good book, and I enjoyed reading it.I loved the connection between Ever and Her dead sister.The romance scenes could have been a little better. I think that the book was dragged a lot in the middle(actually the first half) which I found very boring. The ending was good, and although it’s the first book in the series, its a standalone.

Having said that, I would definitely read the next book.

Oh by the way, I loved the book cover :)

Review : A map of the known world - Lisa Ann Sandell

2009-09-04T04:37:00.000-07:00

Title : A map of the known world

Author: Lisa Ann Sandell

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Cora Bradley dreams of escape. Ever since her reckless older brother, Nate, died in a car crash, Cora has felt suffocated by her small town and high school. She seeks solace in drawing beautiful maps, envisioning herself in exotic locales. When Cora begins to fall for Damian, the handsome, brooding boy who was in the car with Nate the night he died, she uncovers her brother's secret artistic life and realizes she had more in common with him than she ever imagined. With stunning lyricism, Sandell weaves a tale of one girl's journey through the redemptive powers of art, friendship, and love.

They say no land remains to be discovered, no continent is left unexplored. But the whole world is out there, waiting, just waiting for me. I want to do things-I want to walk the rain-soaked streets of London, and drink mint tea in Casablanca. I want to wander the wastelands of the Gobi desert and see a yak. I think my life's ambition is to see a yak. I want to bargain for trinkets in an Arab market in some distant, dusty land. There's so much. But, most of all, I want to do things that will mean something.

My Review
“A map of the known world " is about a girl named Cora whose life has been abruptly and unpleasantly changed after the death of her elder brother Nate.
Cora is just 14 years old. And after the death of her brother, everything changes. It’s been 6 months and her parents have not come out of the grief. This is affecting Cora in many ways. She is about to join high school and she is afraid. Her only best friend does not know what and how to talk to her. She is always been seen by everyone as a sister of a boy (Nate) who died.Cora wants to move away from this small town. The house has become the house of grief!! She doesn’t want to stay here in this small town anymore. But she can’t get out of here.

"Here, I know every twist of every road, every blade of grass, every face in this town, and I am suffocating." Oh how lovely the author Lisa Sandell has written it. Soon Cora starts mapping the real world locales in her artwork by sketching and painting maps.
This is the only thing which is in her control and she finds peace in it.

Nate is her brother, but she doesn’t completely know him. Nate has hidden his artistic side from everybody. And in this his only partner was his best friend Damein.
Damein was in the same car when Nate had died.But as time passes, Cora starts taking interest in Damein. He shows her and tells her many things about Nate. Soon she realizes that she and her parents never knew Nate. Of course it was very painful for her to know that. But then she decides that she won’t let her brother be recognized as a reckless one.

The author has written the book so wonderfully; that there was no need to write explicitly about each and very character in it. This book is like a Pandora’s Box filled with emotions.

I loved it :)

SUTASI

2009-08-14T06:01:00.000-07:00

A day before yesterday, as I was surfing through all the channels, I settled for AXN, as I heard a guy singing.I literally got goose-bumps when I was listening to him sing.This program is called as SUTASI.Now for people like me who do not know what SUTASI is exactly, Check this out - http://www.sutasi.com/what_is_sutasi/

Later I came to know that he is a Soloist Winner - South Asia.No wonder he is too good..!!

Review : Fiscal Fiscal Pear & Shimmer in The Call of River Whale by - Olivia Brooks-Scrivanich

2009-08-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

Title : Fiscal Fiscal Pear & Shimmer in The Call of River Whale

Author: Olivia Brooks-Scrivanich

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the book:

Fiscal Pear and Shimmer embark on their annual adventure only to find themselves running for their lives! A diabolical bakery and her villainous henchmen have hatched an evil plan to catch the walking talking pear in a last ditch effort to save the bakery from ruin. SOL realizes the power needed to help the little pear and lightning bug lies with the Council of the Wise. In a flash, SOL flies through the air with them on his back in an attempt to get them safely to the Council. When SOL disappears in mid-flight, Fiscal Pear and Shimmer plummet into the dark vastness beneath them and unexpectedly come face to face with the worst of the bakery's agents…Cutter! Cornered in the dead of night, how will they ever escape Cutter and his gang in the thick forest?

My Review

I found this book very sweet...

This is a book basically about Fiscal pear, his friends and their adventure. I simply loved the book cover and the drawings in it. I know this book is basically for children, but hey, it kept me hooked.

This book starts with the compassionate owl listening to a sad story of the pear. Now that’s cute. There is this town where there is a bakery of Blueberries, bakery of Apples, bakery of Cherries, bakery of Peaches, and the bakery of pears.

In the beginning, it was just a bakery of Pears. Everyone in the town used to come to visit and buy the goods she baked. But the location where this bakery was placed was very cold and shadowy. And soon, many other families decide to open their own bakeries and bake and sell their own goods. The location they choose is very bright and warm right at the foot of a hill. And so all the villagers start going to these bakeries where they can sit and relax outside it.

This makes the owner of the bakery of pears mad. She feels betrayed. Her madness overtakes her and she sets to find a way to show the villagers and keep her bakery going. She finds about the walking, talking pear. A pear that has hands and legs. Now that’s interesting :) She decides to hang him in her bakery to attract all villagers.

And so begins the adventure when Fiscal pear comes to know about it by his friends. Oh let me tell you, his are friends are SOS, Shimmer (a lighting bug) and many other sweet, cute and interesting characters. And the villains are The Cutter, The bag of Flour, and the Butt Rott Root and many others.

This book is full of adventures. All the characters are really very well described and explained in a short and concise manner. This book teaches a lot to us. It tells about bravery, friendship, sacrifice and yes the love these little friends have for each other.I would definitely recommend this book to little ones. They would love to read it.

Review : Behind Every Illusion - by Christina Harner

2009-08-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Title : Behind Every Illusion

Author: Christina Harner

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

About the book:

When soft-spoken Tatiana turns eighteen, she begins to experience unusual changes. Suddenly, she can read minds, sense emotions and move at a speed that far surpasses anything she’s known before. When her physical features begin to change as well, she begins to doubt her humanity. Having no clue where to turn, Tatiana tries desperately to keep her new abilities a secret. But her best friend and brother, Isaac, sees past her illusions and together they explore the significance of her differences and search out the meaning behind them. Amidst tragedy, unimaginable transformations and an unexpected friendship, Tatiana has to learn to reveal the girl hidden behind her illusions and what it means to face the world in order to preserve not only the forest but her very existence.

My Review

This book is a story of a girl who is timid, introvert and very shy.She is scared to talk to people. She always thinks that those around her are trying to judge her. Tatiana loses the ones she loves. She turns 18. She begins to experience unusual changes, both physically and mentally. Tatiana is not ready to accept this change. Life becomes too complicated and difficult for her. She doesn’t know where to turn. She doesn’t want people to think about her as a total freak. And so, she tries to keep it as a secret from everyone by hiding these changes behind the illusions. But then, these things are not that easy to hide.They do not get unnoticed by her brother Isaac. He decides that he will not let his sister to hide and ignore what she is turning into, and thus helps her in searching the meaning behind it.

The back of the copy says -

“Behind Every Illusion is the first book in an exciting series about the extraordinary ways the earth has evolved in a desperate attempt to save itself from the destruction caused by humankind.”

Every Living thing has its role on this earth. They are here to balance everything. But then, when humans fail to do so...there has to be something or someone who will help and get back the balance of mother earth.We have to be the part of it to change it.Many things in this book which are mentioned are shown in a different way.There are many sentences in this book which I like. For example “Willing to believe in the impossible “I am simply in love with the cover of the book. I kept on seeing it again and again while I was reading it :)

If you like reading fantasy then you would surely love this one. Also I felt that the book was dragged a bit. The author has repeated the explanation of each and every emotion Tatiana feels while discovering her own abilities many times.I actually wanted to go and shake Tatiana for not accepting what she is and the way she was taking things! It really got me irritated.But the book really kept me hooked. It’s an excellent read I am totally looking forward for the next one.

P.S: Do check “http://www.behindeveryillusion.com/”.

I simply loved it.

Hello everyone :)

2009-08-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is my first post here. Just don’t know what to write. I am not good at expressing myself, be it verbally or just penning it down.
Having an entire blog for myself, it’s definitely a wonderful feeling... :)

I decided to have a blog here, as I will be able to use the templates which I want, and that’s the best part..!! I find the default templates given here very boring. So I searched on Google and found out wonderful templates which I am planning to change every month or so.

Now with the name of my blog...!! Gosh..It was difficult for me to find a nice name for it. So people just don’t ask me why I have named my blog as "IceJewel” .I know it doesn't make any sense. But all the names which I wanted were taken :(

Now, coming to the main point, I know that maintaining a blog is very difficult, but I am going to try my level best in doing so.
There is so much to write, and I am seriously not able stick to any single topic. I am currently erasing and rewriting this post as I am getting diverted to many other topics which I do not want to write in one go.

oops..and here I say that I cant express myself in writing..!!