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Book Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


AWESOME. FANTASTIC.

I was both excited and nervous to when I started reading Bloodlines.Like almost everyone else, I'm not sure what to expect since I loved Vampire Academy, however my love for Adrian and excitement of being with him again(hehe) ruled over.

Reading Bloodlines wasn't a mistake. It was fueled with a gas different from Vampire Academy probably brought upon the high difference between Rose and Sydney. Reading from Sydney's perspective is really new. She's neat, organized and so unlike Rose. I admit that my view of Sydney here changed from VA. And that can be justified with consxcously knowing she's the main character now. Sydney is a great character btw. She may be naïve but she has her own way of dealing with things and problems. I was used to Rose's impulsivity and fierceness. Now, things have mellowed down. )Es,there was still action and adrenaline-filled situations,and Sydney was fierce but just in a diff way. The changes were really amazing.

Next, I loved the new set-up. The new characters brought a new spice to the story. The plot was not "just-made-up-for-the-sake-of-writing-a-new-book" but it was suffice and the story was unexpected.truthfully. The other supporting characters were nice. In Bloodlines, whenever you think things were predictable, suddenly the tires have turned and things changed direction. It was awesome that way. The exciting it brought me was unique..

AND Finally,Adrian,oh gosh. *hyperventilates*. He really changed here. Oh yes,he was miserable at first,but he was still sane. I liked how slowly, he became more open to changes and thus he improved a lot. His friendship with Sydney and connection with Jill helped him become better, I guess. In the end, he found a new purpose to go on,and I am positive things will go uphill with Sydney for the next books. I am stoked every single freaking time there's a scene between Adrian and Sydney. Which by the way happened a lot. And I am so freaking happy for Adrian! There is hope for him yet and it comes with the name Sydney. You have to read Bloodlines to know what I'm talking about here. I have to also mention what a relief it was to know that Jill has other someones,yes someoneS (I'm not about to reveal who).

The ending of bloodlines was a real bummer though, the neurons in my brain were chanting "more,more,more". And the last sentence left me on the edge of my seat. It was such a cliffhanger!

The question now is, when's the next book?:)



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In My Mailbox (4)

Here's how this works: It's a weekly feature hosted by The Story Siren where we all post what new books we received in the mail, from the library, or contests we won, etc. Click the link for more info and to join in on the fun!

This is my FOURTH IMM :) 

This week, I got these books for free: 

buy here: Amazon

buy here: Amazon

buy here: Amazon

I won..: 

buy here: Amazon

Been asked to review:

buy here: Shadows from the Past

I bought..

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (buy here: Amazon)

Where She Went by Gayle Forman (buy here:Amazon)

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard (buy here:Amazon)

Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray (buy here:Amazon)

From netgalley & Simon&Schuster galley grab:

Preorder: Amazon

Preorder: Amazon

Preorder: Amazon

Preorder: The Darlings in Love

Preorder: Amazon

Thanks to Simon&Schuster and Netgalley for the galley grabs!
Thanks to friends who gave books!
Thank you to the people at FUlly booked for being patient to me choosing books (and for my overstays at FB! lol)

Thank you for viewing! Thank YOu for The Story Siren for hosting! Don’t forget to view other IMMs by fellow bloggers: go to The Story Siren and check other’s posts.

So, what’s in your mailbox? :)

Book Review: The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
Publisher: Harperteen
Publishing Date: September 6, 2011
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After. What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy.

Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.

Jennifer Castle’s debut novel is a heart-wrenching, surprisingly witty testament to how drastically life can change in the span of a single moment.

     The Beginning of After isn’t like any other book I’ve ever read. The title alone carries the weight of the story. The story is heavy but it did not make me cry (I don’t know why, it just didn’t have that effect on me). It’s descriptive, not with the setting (place,time,things,etc) but with the situation. It tackled and told the story of Laurel’s life in detail but it wasn’t boring. There’s just something with the novel that I liked. It’s realistic and it sounded like I was reading a real person’s journal. I have read quite a number of novels with the same story “family dying, me?-left alive”.
     This is much about how Laurel went about with her life. The denial stage wasn’t stressed that she was in denial but you just realize that she was in denial because this is what she did,etc. This book more likely showed you rather than explained to you the why’s. You will be surprised with a lot of things with this novel. I never expected not to cry, that people around her would act all so smooth and kind to her even after many months, that her relationship with David isn’t immediate (I really thought they would be closer quickly). I was wrong in many of my expectations in this book, BUT I’m happy that I was (because it meant the story is common but the real story and content is really different from others).
     I loved it, was entertained in the sense that my mind was emotionally changed and touched, and lastly the ending was full of understanding and was simply real. Thumbs up to Jennifer Castle! :)


Preorder here:

View all my reviews

Author Interview & Giveaway: TP Boje of The Eye of the Crystal Ball :)

Hi everyone! This is my first ever Author Interview & Giveaway. I hope you’d enjoy it.

My featured author for today is Therese Boje (TP Boje). She’s 34 years old and a mother of two girls and a bonus-mom of a boy and a girl as well. She’s originally from Denmark, but moved to Florida two years ago. She has already written three novels that are published in Denmark, Norway and Germany. She has since written two books in English. The mystery novel “One, Two … He is coming for you” was the first one, the fantasy-novel “The Eye of the Crystal Ball” is the second. She’s currently working on finishing the third one called “The Academy”. 

Hi Therese! Thank you for gracing us with your presence:)

We are all curious, every author seem to have an experience that triggered them to begin writing or something like that, did you have that moment too? or was it always your dream to be an author since you were a child?

I had a teacher in the fourth grade that really got me inspired. He loved to hear my stories. Ever since I was a small child. I have always told stories to whoever would listen. In school I remember sitting in class during recess and telling stories to my friends making them forget that they were about to go out and play. Then my teacher would often listen in as well. Later on he encouraged me to write them down and he would read them and comment on them. I kept writing short-stories in highschool and then I became a journalist. For many years I worked at a Danish TV-station, and it was then I came up with the idea for my first novel. A Danish truck-driver had been found dead in Poland and I was sent there to cover the investigation for the TV-station. Two years later that story became my first novel.

What was your hardest challenge in writing The Eye of the Crystal Ball?  (my REVIEW)

To give each character and each chapter the time it needs. I am always so excited to tell the story that I sometimes rush it too much.

Tell us about your book, The Eye of the Crystal Ball where did the idea of writing it come from? I read that you have a special connection to the main character Sara’s story (about the gypsy and how your parents ran a joke about it to you), can you share a bit of that story to us? :)

The story is inspired by stories my dad used to tell me. I have always had an interest in gypsies and loved the stories my dad would tell about their music, dancing and fluttering skirts. Actually he used to tell me that I was really a gypsy. That they had found me on the doorstep at our house with a note and that one day my real parents would come and get me. It was just for fun and I didn’t believe him (he also told my brother that they had bought him at the zoo – from the monkeycage) but some part of me wanted that to be my story. I wanted to be different than the regular middle-class girl that I was. I wanted to go to exotic places and dance like he told me they did. I wanted an adventure of my own. In a way he kind made my imagination grow by giving me those stories.

Do you have a favorite line/scene from your book? (would you like to share a teaser?)

I love the scene where Sara meets the ten foot giant snail Abigail. She is such a sweet animal, but terribly clumsy as well. People are really scared of her but when you get to know her she really has a heart of gold and she is so lonely.

Any upcoming  projects or events you would like to share? What is it about? 

"The Academy" is a Y/A paranormal romance and is part of a series under the title "Afterlife". It is the story about Meghan. She is 16 when she dies. She wakes up on a big flying steamboat on her way to a school run by Angels in a white marble castle. It is a school everybody has to go to before they are let into Heaven. One day she finds a mirror in the cellar of the school and goes through it. She ends up back on earth where she meets Jason and soon Meghan will have to choose between the two worlds.

That sounds interesting. Thank you so much for the interview!

EVERYONe! Our guest author is so generous she’s going to giveaway ONE copy of her book The Eye of the Crystal Ball and ONE copy of  The Academy (ebook). This will be INTERNATIONAL.

To enter just leave a comment with your:

1. Name
2. E-mail address

For additional entries (+1) for each

1. Tweet it (leave a link)
2. Post it on your facebook/blog

Thank You so much! Winner will be selected on August 25, 2011. You have one week! :)

Book Review: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Lani and Erin are lifelong best friends — and total opposites. Lani’s a down-to-earth Taurus; Erin’s a fiery Leo. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. They’ve always had wildly different tastes, from pizza toppings to guys.That is, until Erin starts dating Jason.From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can’t deny the amazing connection she feels with him. It’s like they’ve known each other their whole lives. She’s not sure if he feels it, too — but even if he does, he’s off-limits. Lani’s determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than hurt her best friend.Then Erin goes away for the summer — and Jason seems to appear everywhere Lani turns. How long can she keep running from the guy who just might be the love of her life?

TWO stars= it was ok. The story plot was what made me curious about this book. Somehow love triangles found a way to my list of “Favorite Story Plots”, and thus I read this book. However, the prose didn’t quite approve my taste. It felt like I was reading a book for Tweens and not Young Adult genre. The way the sentences connected weren’t coherent and I felt like an elementary student reading a required Reading. Anyway, I kept on reading because I have this tendency to finish whatever I started. I really liked the story plot even if the character of Lani, and her attitude towards life (she’s highly dependent on horoscope,etc) didn’t match my view in life. The fate thing was unique and made the love between Lani and Jason strong and made you believe that they should really end up together, hehe. The ending was simple, little satisfying because I expected a grand one. lol.

I recommend this book to “love triangle fans” and readers who are open to any type of prose writing. The story was good, and you might enjoy it.

buy it here:


View all my reviews

In My Mailbox (3)

Here's how this works: It's a weekly feature hosted by The Story Siren where we all post what new books we received in the mail, from the library, or contests we won, etc. Click the link for more info and to join in on the fun!

This is my THIRD time to join IMM :) 

This week, I’ve been given:

thank YOu to my friend “Emmer” for this gift! big HUG for you!

( Goodreads | Amazon )

(Goodreads | Amazon)

I bought:

the hardbound edition :)

(my review | Amazon)

(my review| amazon) 

From NEtgalley:

(goodreads | Amazon)

(goodreads | Amazon)

(goodreads | Amazon )

(goodreads | Amazon)

Thank you for viewing! Thank YOu for The Story Siren for hosting! Don’t forget to view other IMMs by fellow bloggers: click here for the list...

So, what’s in your mailbox? :)

My FIRST 50 Follower Giveaway WINNERS!

    It has been a crazy month for me.. crazy wonderful, exciting, and there were some sad moments too. Anyway, now, I’m at the end of my FIRST EVER giveaway, and I have mixed emotions about it: happy-to give away gifts (3 books!) as my appreciation at the same time sad-because I don’t have a giveaway anymore (BUT I have another one coming! haha).
    After a month, I’ve gained more followers and I’m so enthusiastic about it! i have now 253 followers and hopefully counting!
    Without further ado, (since I’m rambling  a lot), here are the winners:

goes to SweetShenanigans 

goes to Josephine Litonjua

goes to Carol Thompson

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!

I already sent you an e-mail and hopefully you can reply within 24 hours, if not, I would have to choose another winner. 

AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE for participating! God bless!

See you all to my next giveaway! :) soon!