TBR for period of 16th to 30th of June 2014 - Fantasy Marathon!

I am freaking excited to start these awesome fantasy books!

So I have:

- 2nd and 3rd books of Demon's Lexicon Trilogy by Sarah Rees Brennan, the Demon's Covenant an the Demon's Surrender ! I really really really love Demon's Lexicon, you can see my review of the book here (Book Review: The Demon's Lexicon (The Demon's Lexicon #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan). And I am sooo excited to see where everything will go after the whole crazy things in the 1st book!

- Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. This is going to be my first book by Brandon Sanderson. I have seen Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy around on BookTube community quite often lately, so I think I will start with this one coz I think it's a standalone so far.. And see if I really like it, I will start to collect the Mistborn trilogy books afterward :)

- AND SO EXCITED for STROMDANCER by JAY KRISTOFF!!! I think it's a Japanese Steampunk story.. It looks freaking bad-ass!

<3 <3 <3

Book Review: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

Author: Robyn Schneider

Published: August 27th, 2013 

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (Int'l Paperback Edition)

Pages: 335

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis:

Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

Deskynowsky's Review (Free Spoilers)

I was considering 3.5 stars, but I thought about it again, and decided to give it 3 stars.. It was Ok, definitely a coming of age story, about a boy who used to be The Golden Boy, The Popular Boy, but then he had a car accident that changed his life forever... And in the state of his changed life, he found another life that he had been overlooked... He started to find the true meaning of being a life etc etc etc... I like the premise of the story... The writing style was a bit slow and kinda long (in a way) and yeah..... it was really Ok, I didn't feel any particular feelings after finished reading this book..... The characters were Ok, well-developed, thou I could not say the same to a particular female character who helped the main male character in the book post-car accident.. But I thought she had served her purpose in the boy's life here.. So.. yeah... and on-to the next read!!! :)

Book Review: This is WAR by Lisa Roecker & Laura Roecker

Author: Lisa Roecker & Laura Roecker
Published: May 6th, 2014
Publisher: Soho Teen (paperback)
Pages: 276
Rating: 2/5

Synopsis:

This is not a story of forgiveness...

The mystery of their best friend's murder drives four girls to destroy the Gregory family. Emily Thorne would be proud.

Everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club saw Willa Ames-Rowan climb into a boat with James Gregory, the Club’s heir apparent. And everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club watched him return.

Alone.

They all know he killed her. But none of them will say a word. The Gregory family is very, very good at making problems go away.

Enter the W.A.R.— the war to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan. Four girls. Four very different motives for justice and revenge, and only one rule: destroy the Gregory family at any cost.

Deskynowsky's Review:

So after reading this book....I decided to give it two stars..

Well, it was not horrible, I found myself enjoyed reading it.. It was okay, thou there were things that I want to question... Because somehow it was just left me more confused...

These characters in the book were mostly unlikeable, but the writers did a pretty good job on how to make them pretty interesting when they put them in dramatic situation. The drama, mystery, and how they act in that situation, well it was quite intriguing.. The story was told in 5 parts.. And divided based on 4 characters POVs (part 4 & 5 from one particular character POV).. I think it meant for readers to get more understanding and relate to these characters, well tbh I still didn't like them and I couldn't sympathize with them as well..

In summary of everything about this book in one sentence, it would be "there was something happened, then nothing at all".. Yeah it was confusing.. I feel in a way, these characters didn't do much, and the mystery kinda unraveled in not very spectacular way..

It was meant to be a YA mystery summer book, and I was drawn to the mysterious cover, intriguing synopsis, and that sticker telling the book to be "TeenVogue YA hottest read"..

Oh well...

July Multiple Books Reviews: 7. The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #3) and 8. The Battle of The Labyrinth (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #4) by Rick Riordan

7. The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #3)

Author: Rick Riordan

Published: April 8th 2008

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books

Pages: 312 pages

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Synopsis:

When Percy Jackson receives an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he'll need his powerful demigod allies at his side; his trusty bronze sword, Riptide; and . . . a ride from his mom.

The demigods reace to the rescue to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two new powerful half-bloods, whose parentage is unknown. But that's not all that awaits them. The Titan lord, Kronos, has set up a devious trap, and the young heroes have just fallen prey.

Hilarious and action-packed, this third adventure in the series finds Percy faced with his most dangerous challenge yet—the chilling prophecy of the Titan's curse.

8. The Battle of The Labyrinth (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #4)

Author: Rick Riordan

Published: April 7th 2009

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books

Pages: 375 pages

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical.
In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet.

Deskynowsky's Review:

THIS BOOK IS SO AMAZING!

AND THAT ENDING THAT FRIGGIN ENDING!!!!

IN THE NAME OF ZEUS WHAT IS THIS SORCERY!!!??

I FOUND MYSELF REALLY CONFLICTED!

I don't know how Rick Riordan managed to always and constantly make the ending more interesting, intriguing, and perfect every-time..

This series is spectacular, gripping, and amazing!

GIVE ME BOOK FIVE NOW!

July Multiple Books Review: 4. Gravity (The Taking #1) by Melissa West

4. Gravity (The Taking #1)

Author: Melissa West

Published: December 18th 2012

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pages: 284 pages

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Synopsis:

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Deskynowsky's Review:

Haha.. So I started reading this on a very peaceful Sunday morning and finished reading it in the afternoon. Well, it is pretty good and addictive ;)

To generally describe pretty much a mixture of Legend and Cinder (without retelling the classic tale and no cyborgs, just alien, pretty good looking alien in my wildest imagination)..

I have a feeling that a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout will enjoy this series so much.. Tho I haven't really read any of her book yet (but I did read few chapters of Obsidian, sadly I didn't really continue reading it, maybe later.)

Soooo I like the characters! The heroine is a very strong individual (physically and emotionally), other characters are also very interesting and well developed..

And the story line is basically like other ordinary love ya dystopian-sci fi story from two different sides with fangirling dramas and really good world building and story plot that have successfully made me addicted and could not put the book down! No pause here..

So in summary, I enjoyed this book so much!

Book Review (SPOILERS FREE!): Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles Series #1)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

SPOILERS FREE!

Year Published: 2012
Publisher: Puffin
Pages: 390
Rating: 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizenwith a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

me after reading Cinder:

I can't properly function right now............. I just need to read the sequel at this second!....... (T^T)

Btw..... it's.....

SOLID FIVE GOLD STARS! (and maybe more.........)!

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK! This book has exceeded my expectation!

At first, I was kinda reluctant to read this book.. It was just because it's a retelling story of Cinderella with Cyborgs in it.. and it did not sound appealing to me.. and oh dear God, how happy I am to be proven soooo wrong........ I thank everyone who kept forcing me to read this book.. I need to have a group hug..

This book goes easily directly to my all time fave books! This book is so amazing! ultra-awesome! It's Dystopian! It's Post-apocalyptic! It's Sci-Fi!

I love the story-line! Probably one of the best story-lines I ever read.. It has the right pace, right amount of action, mysteries, conspiracies, and romance, and importantly, great story development. What I like the most from Cinder was that although you can guess a certain thing, but it still can surprise and shock you, thanks to the great timing of revealing that thing..

One other thing that I really love is its originality. Despite of being a retelling book of Cinderella story, it still owned its story-line. It's original and unique. Totally no-where near Cinderella story.. xp

The characters......................... AMAZING Characterization of these awesome fictional characters, whether they are the antagonists or the protagonists.. You just can not help to get drawn with so much feelings to these characters.. Love how Marissa wrote these characters <3 I love Cinder and Kai chemistry, I just love these two characters a lot.. then there is also Dr. Erland, not so much of him, but he is one interesting character.. then Queen Levana, Adri, and Pearl, I hate these three characters with all my being.. haha..

I wonder what had Marissa Meyer been thinking when she wrote this book, how she got the idea.. Because I am still mesmerized by the world setting of this book.. and the story line... and Thank God, I already pre-ordered Scarlett, the sequel of Cinder.. Can't wait to read it.. The ending of this book was quite a cliffhanger!

If you haven't read this book, I strongly urge you to go to a bookstore or open any of book-shopping online website and get this book! It's really a great read! <3

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

buy the book:
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Spoilers Free!

Publisher: Little Brown
Year Published: 2009
Pages: 563


There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I still can't get over the ending. This book was a roller-coaster journey. Full of twists and mind-boggling moments. Definitely my favorite!

First let me tell you about the cover. I am rarely talking about the cover, thou it's essential and one of those things that lure us to read a book, but it's never really a big of a deal for me. But all covers in the Caster Chronicles series are just amazing! They are GORGEOUS! Elegant, simple and enchanting! very delicious on the eyes! (haha, if that even a right english sentence). Oh well, as long as the message is clear, I LOVE the covers!

Alright, everything that makes a book very enjoyable to read, for me, you can get it from this book. The story is unique and original! Love the idea! I adore the idea! as for the story-flow, I found the first 100 pages of the book was a bit slow. But since then it was really picking up big time! My favorite would be the last 200ish pages towards the end.. Everything went crazy! SO GOOD!

Characters! very unique perspective! This is one of many books out-there that written from male-POV. But I like the fact that Ethan is just a mortal with no (actual supernatural/paranormal) power, just a plain good teenage boy. If it's a typical YA book, the person-POV of the book got to be someone with the power or the designated hero (Thou Ethan is kinda a hero in a way too). If this book was told from Lena POV, I don't think it would be as exciting as it is. I Love Ethan Wate, the lead male character of the book. He is just ordinary and smart, love that he stands to what he believes. I also love Macon Ravenwood, Lena's uncle and Link, Ethan's bestfriend. Lena is okay for me. Other characters, the Gatlin folks and all caster-clan (whether they're light or dark) members are really intriguing and interesting. Those characters annoyed me, intrigued me, and made me laugh. Love how the author wrote and developed their characters and all of their aspects..

Other thing that made me so excited to read the book is because this book is made into a movie! It will hit the theatre in February 2013. I believe it will be in the first week of Feb.. oh well, just check out the awesome movie trailer! Yes, are you excited?????! I know I am xp

Trailer #1

Trailer #2

Book Review: Tempestuous by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes

Tempestuous by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes

Publisher: Merit Press
Date Published: 18 December 2012
Rating: 

Thank you, Merit Press for a copy of this ;)

No one understood teen angst like the Bard, as authors Askew and Helmes prove with a hilarious twist on The Tempest

Working off her debt to society (not to mention her father), former prep princess Miranda Prospero now wears the crown of a spinning frankfurter at her job making Hot Dog Kabobs at a Minneapolis mall. When a city-stopping blizzard strands Miranda and the mall workers with the oddest of the die-hard shoppers, she decides to wreak vengeance on the social-climbing clique who froze her out. The townies and the preps line up for battle with whatever merchandise comes to hand, while a rent-a-cop searches for what may be an armed robber. Accidentally (and literally) stuck to Caleb, a rough-cut boy with a heart of gold who would have been beneath her notice just a month before, Miranda learns more about the human heart and human nature in one night than in all of the rest of her life.

About the Authors:

Kim Askew, co-author of Tempestuous: A Twisted Lit Novel, whose work has appeared in Elle and other magazines, is a content manager for the Webby-winning teen site www.FashionClub.com, for which she has covered the Teen Choice and MTV awards. Follow Kim on Twitter. 

Amy Helmes, co-author of Tempestuous: A Twisted Lit Novel, is co-author of Boys of a Feather: A Field Guide to American Males and is also a weekly contributor to The Rundown, a free daily e-mail service that keeps subscribers informed on what's new and cool in LA. Follow Amy on Twitter.

Both Kim and Amy think Shakespeare understood the young's true love and pain like no other, from Hamlet's sorry stepdad to Juliet's trauma drama, hence this literate farce, based on "The Tempest."

My Review:

I LOVE IT! Yaaaaaaahhhhooooooooooo!!!

Okay, I definitely heart this book..

Like seriously I love the simple story-line, I love the characters, I love the writing! 

The story line was simple, it was story about a girl who was punished by being employed at a Hot Dog Kebab counter at a food court mall. Then suddenly there was a lock-down at the mall because of bad snow-storm. And people were trapped inside the mall had to stay there until the next morning.. But for an overnight lock-down at a mall, surely lots of things happened there.. hehe.. what I meant by that was many fun things happened! ;)

*cute-typical-teen-romance (checked)

*crime mystery but not scary (checked)

*a bit of Lord of the Flies by William Golding (or not) ( even if it was, definitely without the killing, no one dead in this book, also it just happened and ended in a flash, coz there was so much fun going on in there)

*(evil or not so evil) clique-clash (checked)

*cute-fun-fresh-and-intelligent-banters (checked), I always love intelligent banters between characters whether it's in books, movies, or tv shows.. 

*teen-moral-messages (checked)

love the fast-paced story without any unnecessary things added to it. But maybe it was just too quick, because I really like it and wished there was more to it, but overall I am quite satisfied :)

the characters! BIG LOVE for all of them! hehe.. the relationship between Miranda and Caleb definitely reminded me so much of Dan and Blair (from Gossip Girl TV show-S3-S4-S5, the most beautiful, believable, and intelligent OTP ever!).. I just love the characters in this book, it showed how unique and lovable they were.. and Miranda, I love her development as a person.. *fictional hugs to awesome fictional character*

and the writing! It was just soooooo clever and not too teen-ish (if that even a proper english word). What can I say, I just love the writing, I mean it was really great, different (compare to other typical high school romance cute teen story books), interesting and intelligent. <3 <3 <3

Will definitely buy this book to support the author (will wait for the paperback version to come out!)

A very RE-readable book! I can just imagine myself, rereading this book for many times.. such an (extremely) enjoyable read!

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Year published : 2012
Publisher : Gallery Books/MTVBooks
Pages : 325
Rating : 

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. 

"When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly."

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

It's going to be a quick review.

This book is so romantic, cute, and make me want to cuddle with it xp

Okay, obviously it's a teen/YA romantic contemporary fiction. So it's just in a way kinda predictable once you have read like the first 100 pages. But I really enjoyed it a lot.

The characters were pretty interesting and very well developed. Then the story line along with the real-life issues that those characters experienced had supported the drama to kinda rile me up a bit.

And the making out sessions was steamy alright. hehe..

Nothing much to tell other than I love that the story was setting in plane/air-flight business industry. And the girl was quite kick-ass too or at least feisty. And the boy, hah finally too much doze of watching teen-tv series has paid off big time, coz I just can imagine what kind of hot and sassy guy this boy is.

I know I don't tell much about the story coz I don't want it to be spoilers. As I said earlier it's kinda simple and predictable for my taste. But it's a cute one and romantic <3

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Year Published: 2011

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 482

Rating: 

Every year, the Scorpio Races are run on the beaches of Skarmouth. Every year, the sea washes blood from the sand. To race the savage water horses can mean death, but the danger is irresistible.

When Puck enters the races to save her family, she is drawn to the mysterious Sean, the only person on the island capable of taming the beasts.

Even if they stay together, can they stay alive?

A breathtaking ride that will make your heart race.

This book in my opinion is slightly different with other YA books. It feels reality-contemporary-slightly-supernatural in a way. I enjoyed it so much.

As the synopsis said this book is about a Horse-race in an island which in mind, I pictured it to take place in an island around UK (somewhere like Guernsey <3). But it's not just an ordinary horse-race, the horses are supernatural creatures named Cappail Uisce (pronounce: Capple Ishka - singular).. it's a water-horse, horse that can live in two world (land and sea) and to add more drama in it, it's carnivores. So it makes them more dangerous. People/animal die because of it. But no one can really understand them other than Sean Kendrick. He's just like Cappail Uisce-whisperer. It's not YA book, if there is no heroine involved, named Puck (Kate) Connolly. She is just made everything more complicated by entering the race with an island-pony instead of Cappail Uisce. But then there is more to it than just about a horse-race or a small island where there is nothing in it other than the annual legendary horse race. There is so much more in this book..

Well, this book has a slow-paced story development. But it was really enjoyable. It was told from dual-perspective; Sean and Puck. So these two are the main-characters. Each of them has different story and background which are very interesting to read. I love the details that accompanied me through out the story. I love Sean and Puck characters. Other characters are also lovable or hatable ;p

For me, this book is one example of a very good slow-paced story. I am not bored or tired by it, it has beautiful writing and it makes everything so much enjoyable and exciting. Furthermore, what really excite me is that when I read this, it felt like I was reading a real-human-contemporary book instead of supernatural book. Yes, the horse is supernatural creature, but the drama, the interaction, and everything else feels so human. It gave a unique feeling. and I like it.

And I love the ending! It wasn't much thou, but it was just enough and perfect. So, maybe this would be a good read for you, especially when you need a refreshment from book-series. This one could be the one for you ;)