KEEP CALM AND LOVE BOOKS: time

Pages: 400 pages

Publication Date: September 10th 2013

Publishers: Tundra Books

ISBN: 1770495479 (ISBN13: 9781770495470)

It's almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And who is Gaby? The truth lies in the shadows of her nightmares.

Now, What I Thought:

So, this book originally intrigued me because it was considered almost as good as, Susan Ee's Penryn and the End of Days trilogy, which is a huge compliment on Paula Weston. I can officially say that even though the storylines are completely different, I do agree with the comparison. This book was actually incredible! I loved how everything played out and the sequence of events were perfect. Everything happened at such a perfect time that it flowed so nicely. It was very well written and deserves a lot more hype. Weston is an Australian author and it was pretty difficult to get her books, considering I was greedy and ended up ordering them straight from Australia, so I could have them a year before they were published in Canada, where I am. LOL I know that's cheating a little but seriously, these books were so addictive and so much fun to read, I needed these books one after the other.

The energy between Gaby and Rafa is incredible. Since the first time she, thought, she met him till the end of the book, was just consistent non-stop electricity between the two. The big drama was that Gaby seemed to have this whole life before, where she can't seem to remember a single thing about it. She learns a lot about her 'true' self and how heartless this Gabe could be. The other mystery is her brother. What exactly happened to her twin brother if she can't trust this new life's memories? Is her brother really dead? Or was that just part of this non truthful life she's been living. So we definitely get to see the journey and trip from both Gaby and Rafa to find out, considering Rafa and Jude are best friends.

I liked how Weston played on the memory aspect in this series because it was interesting when we would hear about the two different, yet same physical person- Gaby and Gabe. I really liked that and it had a bit of a psychology theme to i, which I really enjoyed. It seemed to have brought more to the book then just an average YA angel novel. I really liked this book and I'm really excited to read what happens when Gaby gets her memories back, because it has to happen some day!

angels - 9:27:00 PM

Shadows (The Rephaim #1) by Paula Weston | Review

Pages: 400 pages Publication Date: September 10th 2013 Publishers: Tundra Books ISBN: 1770495479 (ISBN13: 9781770495470 ) ...

Pages: 442 pages

Publication Date: June 14th 2011

Publisher: Hyperion

ISBN: 1423134710 (ISBN13: 9781423134718)

Alexis is the last girl you'd expect to sell her soul. She already has everything she needs--an adorable boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and a little sister who's finally recovering after being possessed by an evil spirit, then institutionalized.
Alexis is thrilled when her sister joins a club; new friends are just what Kasey needs. It's strange, though, to see how fast the girls in The Sunshine Club go from dorky and antisocial to gorgeous and popular. Soon Alexis learns that the girls have pledged an oath to a seemingly benevolent spirit named Aralt. Worried that Kasey's in over her head again, Alexis and her best friend Megan decide to investigate by joining the club themselves. At first, their connection with Aralt seems harmless. Alexis trades in her pink hair and punky clothes for a mainstream look, and quickly finds herself reveling in her newfound elegance and success.
Instead of fighting off the supernatural, Alexis can hardly remember why she joined in the first place. Surely it wasn't to destroy Aralt...why would she hurt someone who has given her so much, and asked for so little in return?

Now, What I Thought:

This was a cool sequel I will admit. Instead of having trouble with little possessed Kasey anymore we now have a different type of possessing, but instead on Alexis and Megan. It was interesting to see the aftereffects on Alexis's family's life after what happened in the last book. Kasey was in a psychiatric home and had just come back from her treatment and we find ourselves living in a whole new different neighbourhood. Kasey is starting her first year of high school and all she wants to do is be normal and have normal friends. Well that's a little hard for a girl to do when she was possessed by an old grumpy vengeful spirit. After all, everyone remembers Alexis's little sister breaking one of the most popular cheerleader's little sister's arm. Who could forget that?

While Kasey is adjusting to high school life she becomes friends with a new girl and weirdly enough, Lydia. Yeah, that weird emo girl from ALEXIS'S old group of friends. Anyways, they join this Sunshine Club where basically all of the girls, including Kasey, get turned into these amazing, beautiful, fashionista type popular girls. Alexis and Megan right away knew that something was up. I liked the friendship between those two a lot in this book. It really shown through how much last book's events bonded them together even though they were enemies just a couple months before. Alexis and Megan then have this bright idea to join the club themselves because again, they smell something fishy going on. Yeah not really a good idea considering the spirit that is turning these girls into psycho's and beauty pageant types isn't all that perfect and innocent as he seemed. Especially with his creepy ass book. LOL.

I couldn't quite believe how serious things got towards the end and a huge twist happened that left me shocked and sad. If you don't want to get spoiled I suggest not reading the description for the next book, like at all. It ruins it on the first few sentences, so just a disclaimer and warning on that. Basically this book made a great sequel to the series and I'm really liking Alender's writing style! It was fun to read and it makes you anxious, just like the first did!

p.s. I know this is in the last book review I did on this series but heres the link for the amazingly well done book trailer!! From Bad to Cursed Book Trailer

ghost - 12:31:00 AM

From Bad to Cursed (Bad Girls Don't Die #2) by Katie Alender | Review

Pages: 442 pages Publication Date: June 14th 2011 Publisher: Hyperion ISBN: 1423134710 (ISBN13: 9781423134718 ) Alexis ...

Pages: 620 pages

Publication Date: May 6th 2008 by Little Brown and Company

ISBN: 0316068047 (ISBN13: 9780316068048)

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Now, What I Thought:

I couldn't believe how many people refused to read this book because it was written by Stephenie Meyer, you know.. author of Twilight? Like damn people, harsh much? This was actually a total surprise, it was very well-written and the plot was developed and interesting. I first heard this story when I stumbled upon the movie adaptation on Netflix. After watching it about 3 times from loving it so much, I decided to try the book. Yes, the love story can be sappy like Twilight but this book should no way be compared to Meyer's other works.

Melanie is one hell of a tough cookie, she does not give up easily and can, at some times, be pretty mean. The one thing I didn't quite understand was that Wanda (Wanderer) was this old experienced soul that had wondered, hence the name, to different lands and planets, yet was so new and confused at some parts of life and functions in the world. Little plot hole there but other than that it was pretty smooth sailing. There of course was a love triangle or square (?). Melanie, Wanda, Jared and Ian. But this wasn't any type of love triangle/square, it was unique and complex considering Melanie and Jared were together prior to having her body taken over. Then, Wanda came along and fell in love with Ian. This complicates things considering Wanda and Melanie are in the same body... What to do with THAT complicated situation lol. Jared was a bit of a jerk towards Wanda, ok fine, a huge jerk. Kind of understandable considering they've never dealt with a nice soul before. Ian actually saw through all of the misconceived perceptions about the souls and saw Wanda as a good being looking to help the humans. For all the little sappy things wrong with the book, the ending does make up for it. It's like Meyer knew she needed some leverage to keep us hanging and wanting a sequel.

The ending for the book and the movie, again, definitely makes us want a sequel. WHICH has been said to happen, but no current news on it considering Meyer is known to just not go through with novels announced, *cough* *cough* Edward's P.O.V book *cough* *cough* Just saying... She wrapped this up pretty nicely and made us wanting more.

aliens - 12:45:00 AM

The Host (The Host #1) by Stephenie Meyer | Review

Pages: 620 pages Publication Date: May 6th 2008 by Little Brown and Company ISBN: 0316068047 (ISBN13: 9780316068048 ) Melanie ...

Pages: 384 pages

Publication Date: April 1st 2014 by Disney-Hyperion

ISBN: 1423157427 (ISBN13: 9781423157427)

Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one

Now, What I Thought:

This book definitely intimated me. Not only had it been out for quite a while but it had tons of reviews and was and still is quite popular. Starting off the book we are introduced to Princess Marie, who has an illness. I was a bit confused at first and it did take till Wolfgang's P.O.V and him describing her illness for me to fully understand what was happening with her. There are a lot of characters in this book and at first, it was really overwhelming haha. I literally found this book to be, put plainly, a bunch of horny teens that are obsessed with sex. LMFAO. IM SORRY BUT THATS WHAT I THINK.

I think my favourite character was Aewlyn, because who doesn't love a powerful, fierce witch, or mage as this book calls them. I felt like she was the smartest and knew how the courts worked and how to work them for her favour. Also, hello. In the FABULOUS trailer, which will be linked below, the actress that portrayed her is beautiful! I couldn't stop myself from just staring at her face. Speaking of the trailer, I can say that it is the only reason I read this book and even knew it existed. It was so professionally done and not cheesy like most book trailers are, it was a total favour for this book. Was this book the best thing ever? No. Was it cool and had a interesting concept? Yes! The whole book is told from 5 point of views: Marie, Aelywn, Wolfgang, Ronan and Isabelle.

Princess Marie: Sweet, shy, calm, well-mannered Princess who is 17 and has tuberculosis, in which she has to wear leg braces... all in all, she's pretty plain looking. Also her mother's like 150 years old and only Marie can see her mothers true face (old and haggard) while everyone else marvels at how she doesn't look a day over 30. Yikes.

Prince Leopold: Handsome, smart, brave.. and an asshole. He's the famous, lovable prince that everyone worships and adores. Obviously except Marie considering she sees right through his act. OH and he's especially horny, like really really horny.

Gill: Handsome? um.. brave?? I mean he's just a strong guard that Marie is truly in love with for saving her life. I guess he has personality?

Aewlyn: Beautiful, strong, powerful, witch. Also, daughter of Merlin, I mean .... I LOVE the Arthurian Era, so whats better than having Merlin in this book? well the fact that his daughter could be more powerful than even him. Dun Dun Dun...Basically her day job is being Marie's best friend and accomplice.

Ronan: Who? sorry thats right, the American who goes to Europe to get married off to save her broke family. Thats when she meets Wolfgang... the prince... even though she doesn't know it yet.

Prince Wolgang: Horny. Ass. Teenager. I mean, he is the brother of Leopold after all. He is the handsome, underrated, charming prince that might not get to be King, but gets all of the ladies instead. He's sweet and nice when we meet him.. except that in the first five minutes of meeting Ronan, and other girls might I add, he suggests strip poker as an icebreaker. Yep. Horny teens!!!

Isabelle: Beautiful, petite, French royal, delicate, and not a virgin considering she's been sleeping with Prince Leopold for the past how long? You see, Isabelle has the worst luck. At first, she's originally engaged to Leopold and even gives it up to the man-whore thinking he loves her for who she is blah blah blah. Until, that engagement is taken and given to Marie. SO what does Isabelle do? try to ruin it.. of course. Something horrible does happen to her so I cant be too judgemental.. oh wait I can considering she literally has. to. cry. all. the. friggan. time. WHY. Isabelle was my least favourite character by far!

All in all, the book was pretty entertaining for a quick read. Just saying, with everything said and that I've made fun of, I will still read the upcoming sequel because I mean.. it is a cool concept and hello! MERLIN.

HERES THE TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeqBgUglvao

Also, the song is what immediately pay more attention. If you know it, kudos!

1900 - 12:00:00 AM

The Ring and the Crown (The Ring and the Crown #1) by Melissa de la Cruz | Review

Pages: 384 pages Publication Date: April 1st 2014 by Disney-Hyperion ISBN: 1423157427 (ISBN13: 9781423157427 ) Princess Mari...

Pages: 451 pages

Publication Date: October 8th 2013 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

ISBN: 0805092676 (ISBN13: 9780805092677)

Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is. She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along. Emerald Green is the stunning conclusion to Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red Trilogy, picking up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

Now, What I Thought:

Ahh, the last book in the Precious Stone Trilogy... so sad. I did not want to see this series end but unfortunately, it was time to wrap things up and call it quits. After all, we needed to find who the real culprit was right?

It was definitely sad to say goodbye to Gwen and her quick wit and also Xemerius! Boo! He literally made the books so funny and not all dramatic at times. Again, I will say that the romance portion was lacking and I felt no connection between Gideon and Gwen. The only time I didn't particularly like Gwen, was when she was obsessing over Gideon and not getting her priorities straight. With that being said, Xemerius did stop the whining of lovers scorned at most times and fixed her priorities. I don't want to give too much away so I can't necessarily talk about the plot considering this book was dedicated to solving all of the problems and mysteries.

BUT. CAN I JUST TEASE YOU GUYS ABOUT THAT ENDING? LIKE DAMN. I was not expecting that at all. I loved that surprise because then everything starting clicking into place, in my mind. I will say that the whole book was kind of lacking in exciting plot twists. Having read the whole novel, the book was all leading up to the big finale, which many were disappointed in. I can see their P.O.Vs for sure, but I just loved this series so much I couldn't not like it, especially the end!

I always hate reading the last books in any series because I can't seem to let go no matter what! I mean, I still reread this books from time to time.