Friday 30 May 2014

Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

Title: Branded
Author: Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki 
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Online Ratings: 3.9 out of 5 stars

*I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

NO SPOILERS!

Summary from Goodreads:

Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best. 
Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home. 
Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain. 
Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.
The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me. 
I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. 
My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

My Opinion:

Dystopian novel, Branded, by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki is a fantastic, well set out, phenomenal book which will blow away the minds of many. The novel follows Lexi Hamilton who is framed for a crime which she did not commit. The novel starts off with a really suspenseful storyline that readers are drawn into quickly. The mysteriousness in this novel allows readers to continue reading the book to solve the mysteries found in this novel . The character of Lexi was written perfectly and beautifully. The first person narration really helped me feel the emotions of Lexi and also the thoughts going through her head. Lexi is a multidimensional character, brave but on the other hand, sweet, caring and loving as well. Her humour was conveyed through her actions and thoughts making this novel a fun and exciting read. Cole, The Guard of Lexi had a great character development from the beginning of the novel. From not trusting Lexi and her actions to believing and falling in love with her. His character was strong and protective making him a perfect character but he also had his faults- another multidimensional and relatable character. The creative storyline and plot really captured the interest of many readers, including mine. The idea is quite unique and will definitely appeal to YA & Dystopian readers.  I definitely recommend this novel to any Divergent or The Hunger Games fans. This fun, quick, cute, romantic read will definitely be worth your time and you won't regret reading it! I definitely need the next book in the series as soon as possible! 

- Erisha <4


Saturday 24 May 2014

Books I Devoured

Hi Bookaholics,

In this post I am basically going to list 5 books (in no particular order) that I absolutely loved and cried in when I finished the book/ series. I will include summaries of the books (all thanks to Goodreads) as well so you can add some new books into your TBR list. So let's get started!

1. Hush Hush Series by Becca Fitzpatrick: 

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems 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 she 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 Nora her life.

2. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma:  

She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But... they are brother and sister.
Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

3. Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead:

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...

4. Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

5. Halo Series by Alexandra Adornetto 

Three angels – Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human – are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.
Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong.
The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?

- Erisha <4

Friday Reads #3

Hi Bookaholics, 

Status- 
Last Read: Branded by Abi & Missy
Currently Reading: -
Goal for the month: Read at least 6 books
Progress: Have already read 4 books
Next book to read: Designed To Love by Elle Davis

- Erisha <4 

Saturday 17 May 2014

For Better or For Worse by Ingrid Nickelsen

Title: For Better or For Worse
Author: Ingrid Nickelsen 
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Online Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars

*I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

NO SPOILERS! 

Summary from Goodreads:

When one story ends, another begins.
Evangeline lived a long fulfilling life. Loving mother and wife, she had everything she could wish for…until a tragic car accident took it all away from her.
Awakening in a new world with the body of a young woman, Evangeline doesn’t remember anything about her life, not even her own name. Luckily she has godparents to help guide her in this new society of the dead. As she struggles to fit in, deep inside, she can sense something is missing, a part of her that she can’t recall. When a mysterious man claims he can help get her memory back if she agrees to keep their nocturnal meetings a secret, she can’t refuse. Everything about him screams trouble, but she can’t seem to stay away. Every moment spent with him makes her feel alive again.
Is she really prepared to unveil her past completely, from beginning to end? Everything is not as it seems in her new found home, and her new life may also end in tragedy.
Rest in fear, Evangeline.

My Opinion:

For Better or For Worse by Ingrid Nickelsen is a beautifully written novel based on afterlife and death. The main theme of this novel is paranormal romance. The story follows a happily married woman named Evangeline who died in an accident. She mysteriously appears in the body of a young woman with a memory loss and is unaware of her whereabouts. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of death and afterlife novels but Nickelsen wrote such a phenomenal novel that I could not put it down. Eva's character was strong and determined which are two qualities lacking in many modern female protagonists. I loved the unique setting and amazing plot twists which were included in this novel. The mysteriousness included in the plot was also written brilliantly. It was truly hard to imagine that this novel was Nickelsen's debut novel as this novel was absolutely amazingly. I adored how we could follow Eva's footsteps and uncover all her secrets and past memories one by one. Eva and Will, who are the main protagonists, had an amazing character development since the beginning of the novel to the end. The amazing new truths and past learnings will shock readers throughout this novel. Overall I rate this novel a 4.5 stars out of 5 stars as I believe this novel was interesting, well written and greatly set out. The "afterlife" world building was magnificent- I felt really connected to the characters and the world. I recommend this novel for paranormal readers who loves romance and afterlife novels. Thank you Ingrid Nickelsen for sending me this ebook, I greatly appreciate it. 

- Erisha <4 




Sunday 11 May 2014

Friday Reads #2

Hi Bookaholics, 
*I know this post is delayed*

Status- 
Last Read: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black 
Currently Reading: For Better or For Worse by Ingrid Nickelsen 
Goal for the month: Read at least 6 books
Progress: Have already read 2 books
Next book to read: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas 

- Erisha <4 

Saturday 3 May 2014

Three Sixty by Megan Duke

Title: Three Sixty: A Companion to Small Circles 
Author: Megan Duke
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Online Ratings: 4.9 out of 5 stars

*I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

NO SPOILERS!

Summary for Goodreads:

Three Sixty is a story about a group of friends. You may recognize two of them as the younger siblings of Larson Ashby and Jade Walbridge, but that does not mean you know them. Audrina, Paxton, and Larson meet Carter after he decides to spend the summer with his older sister Jade. Set during the summer before Audrina's freshman year of college, over the course of those four months, the friends come face to face with jealousy, regret, freedom, and the true meaning of love. As a companion to the novel Small Circles, Three Sixty promotes the notion that it's okay to be happy, even if you have to completely turn your life around, and start over, in order to achieve that. 

My Opinion:

Three Sixty by Megan Duke is a companion novel to Small Circles. Three Sixty was a fantastic book which grabbed the readers interest straight away. Megan Duke has written another fantastic novel which I can assure you, will touch the hearts of many. This book follows the story of Small Circles except through the "eyes" of Audrina and Carter. This book follows conflicts and complications which arise in our community, between teenagers, today. These easily relatable characters made the novel stand out among other books. Megan Duke has written a novel which allows her readers to experience situations which they might be going through and her characters are so realistic you sometimes feel they are one of your friends. I definitely recommend this novel to teenagers and even young adults and I also rate this book 5 stars out of 5. I can not wait to read the next novel in this series! 

SPOILERS! 

Three Sixty by Megan Duke is no ordinary, mundane book. Three Sixty is a novel which deals with hard core issues and also relatable situations. Megan Duke writes so fluently that every paragraph written can be so emotional. I went into this novel with high expectations, especially after reading her first novel in this series, Small Circles, and I am happy to say that Duke's companion novel has lived up to my expectations. This novel begins with a quick overview of the last book which helped readers to know the story line better. I absolutely loved the introduction of Carter's character and also a deeper background knowledge on Audrina while reading this book. I felt Duke went into a lot of detail with the characters which made them easier to understand. I could easily connect to Audrina and feel what she was undergoing. Some might say Carter's character had no importance in this novel but I strongly disagree. Carter's role in this novel not only helped uncover hidden secrets but also helped discover the development of other characters. Audrina changed from an immature teenager into a sensible one by the end of this novel. She had guts to acknowledge her faults and also learnt how to fix them. This novel represented that people have flaws and no one is perfect. Getting to the middle of the novel, the readers learnt many new things. Such as Larson moving on with his life. Of course he would always have a hole in his heart after Owen's death but he learnt to overcome that adversity and try to move on with his life, which he did when he met Silas. This character development was huge and probably the best development I have ever read. The epilogue was quite phenomenal, written in a letter format, readers experience what Larson is feeling and that writing a letter would help him overcome that sadness and loss. Although it was upsetting, I still found the letter to be an important scene in the book as it showed a lot of character development. My favourite quote from this book would have to be: “I’m going to turn my life around. Make a complete three sixty.”
“Don’t you mean one eighty?” he corrected. “If you do that, you’ll end up right back “where you started.”
“Maybe. But at least I’ll have a chance of coming out of it a different person - a better version of me.” I really love this quote as it represents that sometimes to achieve happiness you must undergo some hardships. This book is a must read for teenagers and I assure you that Megan Duke will touch the hearts of many through this novel. 

- Erisha <4


Friday 2 May 2014

Friday Reads

Hi Bookaholics

Today's post is based off another YouTube Book Tag video. Basically, every Friday's (maybe once a fortnight) I will post what my current reading goals are, book I last read and am currently reading. So below are my current reading status. 

Status- 
Last Read: Three Sixty by Megan Duke
Currently Reading: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black 
Goal for the month: Read at least 8 books
Progress: Have already read 1 book
Next book to read: For Better or For Worse by Ingrid Nickelsen 

- Erisha <4