KEEP CALM AND LOVE BOOKS: post-apocolympic

Pages: 338 pages

Publication Date: October 2nd 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 0062085506 (ISBN13: 9780062085504)

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Now, What I Thought:

The writing style really intrigued me to keep on going with this book. It was almost like Juliette's mind was a diary and we were reading her scribbled notes and new ideas and aspirations. It was very cool and different from most novels, so that was one thing that really struck out to me. Tahereh Mafi definitely knows how to rip your heart out and shove back in while telling her story because this was absolutely touching and heartbreaking and the text really did connect with with me. As you could expect, Juliette starts off the book in a very dank and sad place mentally and physically. This dystopia world was cool to learn about considering humans are basically at the end of their leashes and are finally running out of earth's recourses, which many have actually predicted would happen. It almost had a 'realness' (?) to it and the text made it seem possible that this is what the world could come to... you know, except with magic bit.

Again, like I said before, you really do feel for Juliette because what happens physically to her affects her mentally and it's not easy living in a killer body, legit. Basically, all human contact with Juliette will kill the other person, as simple as it sounds. She's been in isolation and captivity from an unknown source for so long that she almost forgets about the other living humans on the outside. I loved the romance in this book. Mafi literally took the impossible and made it possible! She totally went into a different and twisted way with the romance and it was very much unexpected! Talk about a shock. When I was starting to figure out what exactly Mafi was doing with these characters I almost couldn't believe it because it was such a risky move to create that type of love. Yet, Mafi pulled it off and made me fall in love with some characters I didn't think I would in this first book.

This book was very well-written and mature that it didn't even feel like a YA paranormal dystopia romance you know? I was really impressed by this book and this series, in fact. It will be on my favourites for a while because the story about Juliette is just breathtaking and heartbreaking all at the same time!

captivity - 3:21:00 AM

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi | Review

Pages: 338 pages Publication Date: October 2nd 2012 Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 0062085506 (ISBN13: 9780062085504 ) ...

Pages: 401 pages

Publication Date: February 12th 2013 by Razorbill / Penguin Group

ISBN: 159514319X (ISBN13: 9781595143198)

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. Alchemists protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she struggles to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do.

Then she finally tracks down the elusive, enigmatic Marcus Finch - a former Alchemist who the organization denies exists, and who lives in shadows, on the run. With Marcus's help, Sydney realizes that the group she's been loyal to her whole life has been hiding the truth from her. Is it possible that her golden lily tattoo might have more power over her than she thinks?

As she struggles to come to terms with what that might mean, Sydney is compelled to use her magical powers to track down an evil magic user who is targeting powerful young witches. Using magic goes against everything she always thought she believed, but she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her special blood - or else she might be next.

Forging her own way is harder than Sydney ever dreamed. Maybe by turning off her brain - and following her heart - she'll be able to finally figure out where she belongs.

Now, What I Thought:

This book was hot hot hot! The connection between Sydney and Adrian is just inevitable. I do feel for Sydney though, she has to go against all of her instincts that have been drilled into her head since childhood. Besides the romance in this book, we get a lot of action! Sydney finally finds the infamous Marcus Finch who managed to escape the Alchemists and do something spectacular to his tattoo. I liked that we got to learn a lot about the golden lily tattoo's in this novel and their history, Mead really focused on the implications if the tattoo was to used on you. It's almost like brainwash in a way and I have a suspicious feeling that is what is going to happen to Sydney's sister, Zoe.

This book really is just about the struggle Sydney has mentally about whether to follow her instinct, that may be wrong, or her heart. The problem is that she has so much other crap to deal with, her newfound magic, protecting Jill, dealing with Angeline, and especially the lies that the Alchemists have been telling her. She doesn't know who to trust expect the Moroi, whom she had been brainwashed into not trusting... basically it's a huge mess in Sydney's life and she's close to exploding. I honestly wouldn't blame her if she did.

The big 'bad' in this book is some person tracking and killing young witches across the US. So, of course Sydney and Adrian go on little, adorable trips to all of these places to figure out who and why this is happening. Unfortunately, they do lose some witches but the culprit is revealed and Sydney finds herself fighting to the death with them. It's an amazing scene and an amazing way to end the book. I still have so many questions that need to be answered but I guess I can wait till the next book :(.

This was a pretty good novel and it seems to be going in the same direction as Vampire Academy, which is nice because that series was awesome!

alchemists - 5:04:00 PM

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead | Review

Pages: 401 pages Publication Date: February 12th 2013 by Razorbill / Penguin Group ISBN: 159514319X (ISBN13: 9781595143198 ) ...

Pages: 435

Publication Date: May 12th 2015 by Hodder & Stoughton

ISBN: 1444778552 (ISBN13: 9781444778557)

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy. After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

Now, What I Thought:

The conclusion to this wonderful series was just..amazing. Honestly, Penryn & the End of Days, was the best series I had read in 2015, by far. This was such a thrilling explosion of action and romance all together and just squashed in 3 books, it was fantastic. I am so glad I read these books, I couldn't imagine not ever reading them because I find myself comparing a lot of new books to these. Susan Ee did an amazing and impeccable job writing this series and she definitely needs way more praise for it. Even though conclusions suck and are the most horrible thing in the world, it was time to say goodbye to Penryn and Raffe and that wonderful post-apocalyptic world.

The last book was definitely literal to the title. The end of days were coming and it was coming fast to Penryn and her group. Sacrifices were made and we really divulged into the life-threatening fights. Seriously, I though a couple of the main characters were going to die at multiple points of the novel. We had a crushing, thrilling and explosive battle at the end and it was so adrenaline-rushing to read. I was feeling worried yet proud of Penryn and Paige, and what they've accomplished and how much they've both been through!

We even get a change of setting! Penryn goes someplace where she finally gets to learn about the angels and even Raffe. It was so damn cool how smoothly the transition between the two worlds were. Ee described it beautifully and there were some pretty close calls for Penryn and Raffe's old angel friends. Yes, expect to see his old pals from long ago in this book, whether they help them or not, you'll have to read and find out ;). The romance escalated as the situations became more life-threatening and I loved every shared moment they had. I will leave you with one, very teasing quote because I just can't help it:

“So am I?” I whisper. “Your Daughter of Man?”

This was such an exiting and so satisfying way to closing the series and I will 100% miss the thrill I got from reading it the first time around. Rest assured I shall be re-reading these books a lot more in the future! Goodbye Penryn. Goodbye Raffe. Goodbye Paige. Goodbye Mom. Goodbye Watchers. Goodbye Pooky Bear and finally, Goodbye Penryn & the End of Days. It has been a pleasure reading Susan Ee's thrilling trilogy.

angel - 2:54:00 AM

End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee | Review

Pages: 435 Publication Date: May 12th 2015 by Hodder & Stoughton ISBN: 1444778552 (ISBN13: 9781444778557 ) End of Days i...

Pages: 438 pages

Publication Date: November 21st 2013 by Hodder & Stoughton

ISBN: 1444778536 (ISBN13: 9781444778533)

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

Now, What I Thought:

This is a perfect example of a great sequel to an amazing series. Ee did it again and made a hella great book! Penryn is so bad-ass that she can't even die! Ok, ok I know there were special circumstances and it was just luck but come on! I'm convinced Penryn will and can survive anything. After the whole dying thing, people are still pretty weary of Penryn because it's not everyday you see someone waking up from the dead, no matter the circumstances.

We learn a lot in this book, we learn more about Raffe and his brothers and past, which is nice because he feels more trustworthy and it seems like we really know his motives concerning Penryn are true and meaningful. It's pretty clear when the last book ended, that Raffe feels something for Penryn. Of course, the most anticipated thing in this book, for me at least, was the big reveal to Raffe that Penryn is alive. Which by the way guys, did not disappoint. It was very well written and even though the little love-sick girl in me wanted the reunion faster, it did happen at the perfect time and was well-paced for the plot line to thicken.

Now, the big question of the book is will the need for Raffe's wings overcome the love he has for Penryn? As usual, our protagonist finds herself in a tough and life threatening situation and Raffe's decision is critical. Aside from that, Penryn, as usual, was amazing and bad-ass. She kicked many butts and conquered many accomplishments. I liked her dynamic relationship with Obi. They respect each other which made me in turn respect Obi a lot more than in the first book. He ultimately wants to help his race, his people and it does shows. He trusts Penryn, which is good because he can clearly tell that if anyone can stop the apocalypse it's Penryn or at least her influence on Raffe.

Paige, Penryn's sister, really shone in this book! She came out of her shell, even after the horrific things that had been done to her. I really liked her lines and how empowering she was to everyone, almost like a beacon of hope and light, no matter how she looks. Of course we have problems with the other people who don't agree with keeping her alive, solely because she looks like a monster. That was just so heartbreaking to read and sad to see that her confidence would deflate just a little. But rest assured Paige rises stronger than ever and she really is a huge player in the storyline.

To end this review, I'm just going to share a quote Raffe said to Penryn after finding out his sword's name is called... Pooky Bear..., enjoy:

“He glares at me as if he already hates it. “What is it?” I consider lying but what’s the point? I clear my throat. “Pooky Bear"He’s silent for so long I’m beginning to think he didn’t hear me when he finally says, “Pooky. Bear.” “It was just a little joke. I didn’t know.” “I’ve mentioned that names have power, right? Do you realize that when she fights battles, she’s going to have to announce herself to the opposing sword? She’ll be forced to say something ridiculous like, ‘I am Pooky Bear, from an ancient line of archangel swords.’ Or, ‘Bow down to me, Pooky Bear, who has only two other equals in all the worlds.’ ” He shakes his head."

HAHAHAHAHAHAH GUYS, just read it, please.

angel - 2:32:00 AM

World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee | Review

Pages: 438 pages Publication Date: November 21st 2013 by Hodder & Stoughton ISBN: 1444778536 (ISBN13: 9781444778533) In ...

Pages: 326 pages

Publication Date: May 23rd 2013 by Hodder and Stoughton

ISBN: 144477851X (ISBN13: 9781444778519)

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Now, What I Thought:

AHHHHH!! I love these books. Just saying, I am reviewing this series after I've already read the whole trilogy. This was the perfect introduction and first book to this very dangerous and very addicting world. This was such a cool concept and take on Angels! It's almost believable because if Angels happen to take over the world, this is probably what would happen. I know how crazy that sounds but this book does make you think in-depth. If you are looking for a quick, light read, this is not your book. Go, read a light novel then come back and get committed. You need to be dedicated and 100% sure you want to read these books because Susan Ee did a great job really going in-depth and making pasts, and storylines very real and evident.

So, Penryn has a crazy mother, to start off with. So crazy that she (the mother) had newspaper clippings of mothers across the world who have killed their own children. Safe to say when Penryn saw this, she realized just how serious the condition her mother has, whatever it is. So in result to this, her mother sends Penryn off to all of these fighting and self-defence classes, so much that her father leaves them because of the debt they're in from the classes. Yep, pretty messed up home life. It also doesn't help that her sister was mysteriously hurt when her mother had been watching over her. So hurt that she is now crippled in a wheelchair.

Finally, the Angels comes and attack the human race. Basically the Archangel Gabriel was pissed off that God had given life to humans and spent more of his attention on them, rather than his first children, the Angels. Gabriel lead the Angels on the 'Day of Reckoning' and practically destroyed all of earth.

Now, I've done a lot of research myself on Angels and even am currently reading the Book of Enoch, which is the jewish work telling the story of the Fallen ones and Enoch's, the great-grandfather of Noah, journey with them. I've also read many literature pieces on Angels and can pride myself on knowing some information on them. So, when reading this book I was a little skeptical because all the fiction Angel books have their own theologies and such, from the author's viewpoint. I was very surprised to read that Ee has actually done her research and given the most accurate version of the origin of Angels and how they really act and behave. It is as accurate as the myth and legends tell us, so 10 points to Gryffindor for that!

The romance in this book..... wait lol what romance?....... I loved the fact there was hardly anything romantic. It's pretty obvious that Ee means to pair Penryn and Raffe together but we really focus on the getting to know the characters and the world we are in. That was a pretty smart decision because it made her book different from all of the rest, whom just want paranormal, angel-human love and romance. We really get a lot of bad-assery in this book and action! Penryn can definitely kick ass and is so fierce it even impressed Raffe when he first met the human. Penryn is also very whitty and funny! Let me just show you guys:

"That calls for a witty comeback. “Whatever,” I say. Okay, so I won’t be getting the Witty Woman of the Year Award. “Do you want me to show you how to use this or not?” I sound surly. It’s the best I can do right now."

Then,

"I’m tempted to make a quip about requiring dinner and a movie before getting so kinky, but I don’t. The last thing I need is to start making sex jokes while I’m being held prisoner in a camp full of armed men in a world where there are no laws.”

Basically you guys can tell it definitely has some dry humour which is much needed because this world is so dark and cold, it brought light to some dangerous and pretty intense moments!

Lets not forget Raffe and his humour. Im sorry guys with all the quotes but I can't help it:

“Here, I’ll show you how to use it. Let me see your foot.” [Penryn said]“That’s a pretty intimate demand in the angel world. It usually takes dinner, some wine, and sparkling conversation for me to give up my feet.”

LOL! I just can't guys. You really need to read this series! It has drama, intensity, humour, danger, fights to the death, and shocking, twisting, unexpected moments! It's literally the best depiction of fiction for Angel's out there.

angel - 2:32:00 AM

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee | Review

Pages: 326 pages Publication Date: May 23rd 2013 by Hodder and Stoughton ISBN: 144477851X (ISBN13: 9781444778519) It's be...

Pages: 393 pages

Publication Date: April 15th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 0373211120 (ISBN13: 9780373211128)

Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

THE FINAL HUNT IS ON.

Now, What I Thought:

So. This is it. The end of the Blood of Eden series. Wow. What an impeccable ride that was! This book was by far the best ending of any series, so much angst and struggle between all of the characters. The book picks up where Allison, Jackal and Kanin are searching for Zeke and Sarren. A huge surprise happens and hits us with a ton of bricks. Like damn, poor Allison hasn't had a single break. Allison, like in the last book, seems to be even more ruthless with killing and is even stronger. She doesn't stop to get back the boy she loves, kill Sarren and the disease once and for all. Just like the synopsis stated, the final hunt is on, and Sarren better run from Allison's wielding katana.

Jackal still cracks me up in this book, and he never ceases to surprise me. He shows a more compassionate side in this, NOT TO GET CONFUSED: He isn't nice, he isn't caring, he IS however an asshole and he definitely doesn't care if Allison, Zeke or even Kanin dies, but he DOES try to save Allison in some parts. He does surprise us at the end as well, and it was a pleasant surprise indeed. Whenever it comes to Jackal, I feel like it is my duty to share a quote because he's just way too funny, so here it is:

"Oh, isn't that sweet," came Jackal's loud, mocking voice... "Let's make goo-goo eyes at each other in the middle of a stinking corpse field, how very romantic."

The ending was so fast coming and I was not ready for that. Something happens that I still can't comprehend why it had to happen. WHY KAGAWA WHY. I remember crying and crying through the end till the last page. Kagawa definitely knows how to write a friggan great and dramatic finale. Don't expect to be happy at the end as well, even though I don't know how anyone could be, considering this amazing world is coming to a close.

Stakes are high, Eden is about to become infected, heartbreaking decisions are made, and sacrifices will happen to save humanity and vampires together.

The badge of honour is for the whole series collectively. This will be missed. Goodbye Allison. Goodbye Kanin. Goodbye Jackal. Goodbye Zeke and finally, Goodbye Blood of Eden.

blood of eden - 12:07:00 AM

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa | Review

Pages: 393 pages Publication Date: April 15th 2014 by Harlequin Teen ISBN: 0373211120 (ISBN13: 9780373211128 ) Vengeance wil...

blood of eden - 11:11:00 PM

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa | Review

Pages: 485 pages Publication Date: April 24th 2012 by Harlequin Teen ISBN: 0373210515 (ISBN13: 9780373210510 ) To survive in...

Pages: 323 pages

Publication Date: September 3rd 2013 by Little, Brown and Company

ISBN: 0316234478 (ISBN13: 9780316234474)

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope.

Now, What I Thought:

Holy Crap, I will admit that I had not read this before the CW's show came out, but damn do I wish I had. This is better than expected, that's for sure. Also, totally different from the tv show. I can't say which one I like more, obviously the show is amazing and so well developed but the book is as well! At the same time though, the book is very different; different characters, different personalities, and Finn wasn't even in the book! I liked the fact I got to read Morgan's initial idea and plot for The 100.

BUT, since this is a review for Kass Morgan's book, and not the CW's show, I'll be focusing on more of the novel portion of this amazing story. Clarke is obviously one of the most strongest characters, mentally. She goes through some shit, lets just say. She portrays that strength, thankfully, in the book beautifully and you can actually read her through process and how smart she really is.

The way Morgan wrote and described the world, it felt like the earth had been reborn and that they were starting from new, which in a way they were. I did love the relationships better in the book. Obviously, for spoiler sake I'm not going to overly describe what happens via Bellamy, Wells, Clarke and Glass. The book definitely payed more tribute to Wells, than the show. I liked how we actually got to know Wells and how he felt about Clarke. I will say, in the book, it is said that Wells and Clarke had been in a relationship on the Ark, before shit went down with her father.

It's safe to say that Bellamy is exactly the same in the book and the show haha. He doesn't change, which is good because I loved his ark (no pun intended) from Season 1 till now. In the book, Bellamy and Clarke are definitely way more closer though, and I liked that we got to explore that possibility. We get to meet Glass, who is awesome and mysterious. She goes through so much and has to be forced to hide from it, which sucks! She gets shit on so much for nothing and it's frustrating as hell to read it. I really loved Glass. I always wondered who and how they would portray her character in the show, it would've been interesting. Im pretty sure that the novel equivalent of Glass is Raven on the show. They aren't very similar, story and plot wise, but we needed some type of connecting on the Ark so I guess CW decided to add Raven. I love Raven, don't get me wrong, but Glass would've been as equally, if not more interesting. I know why they did that too; they needed drama with Finn and Clarke, and of course, why not add the girlfriend who flew through 'time' and space to get to him. It was a smart move for the plot but having now read the book, I do wish they added Glass to the storyline. Oh well.

All in all, I did really like this book, was it boring in some places? yes, but being such a lover of the plot and the show, I couldn't not like the book you know?

You guys should really read this if you love the show like me!