Obsidian (Lux, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published: May 8th 2012 by Entangled Teen
Pages: 335
Rating:  ★★★★☆

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.


"Why are you such an ass?" The words came out before I could think twice."Everyone has to excel at something, right?""Well, you're doing a great job."
-- Jennifer L. Armentrout, Obsidian


2014 couldn't have started any better. Obsidian was my first book to finish after two P.M. No regrets! It was full of poking with pens, similarities and aliens with a big appetite.

To start with the similarities, by reading other's reviews after finishing this book, I immediately found that issue we all had in common: Obsidian's similarity with Twilight. I read the Twilight series way too long ago for having a proper opinion on them, yet I do know all of the events. Once you start comparing, there is no going back. This is the reason I didn't get to enjoy it to the fullest. I hate to be actually writing an paragraph about this, but it is there and you just can't ignore it. For starters, Katy is Bella and Daemon is Edward. When I dug deeper into the story, not only the protagonists but many other characters were similar too. Dee is Alice. Ash is Rosalie. Adam is Jasper. Even Matthew reminded me of Carlisle in a way. Now it might seem like the biggest issue in the world; it's not. Obsidian is like Twilight, but it fixes everything. It's Twilight, in the way the novel should have been. It's so much better.

The plot itself started out like Twilight but ended up being completely different. I got a fresh take on the alien aspect with the explanations you'll need. I got gripped at one hundred pages in, and thanks to the variety of Daemon's sarcasm, love scenes and action scenes, I finished Obsidian in a jiffy. It starting with the mystery of figuring out what the Blacks are could have been enjoyable, if only I hadn't read the synopsis. It's no fun to read about something mysterious when you already know the answer. Furthermore, I did love the rest of the book because I hadn't spoiled myself on those. The thing I enjoyed the most was probably the development of Katy's and Daemon's relationship and the plot twist with Daemon's sibling.

I laughed so much while reading. Katy's conversations with Daemon were the best. I loved reading them because you never know what you're going to get. Daemon Black is that character who has more mood swings than a girl on her period, which always leads to unexpected events. Unlike others, I didn't fell in love with this jerk. Even though I knew there was a reason he was acting that way around Katy, it did not make up for it. What did, were the chapters at the end told from Daemon's point of view. It made me like him a bit more, because now I understand he's just really bad in social contacts. In his comparison to Katy, she was the character I loved. Jennifer L. Armentrout did the best job in creating a character to whom we, as the reading community, can relate. She has a book blog! Do I need to say more? Probably.

Katy shows the usual struggles of a teen, such as fitting in. She's hilarious, able to stand up for herself and even knows to say to right thing in situations to damn Daemon. These two may not have had sparks flying when they met, but they came eventually. Bloody hell. Their chemistry made Katy's computer blow up. I would definitely want something like that when I find myself a boyfriend. Katy and Daemon took the word chemistry to a whole new level. The romance scene was very well described, leading to heated pages I appreciated very much.

Obsidian definitely has its clichés and similarities, yet it had to be a book I loved. I'm currently reading the prequel to the Lux series, Shadows, and I can't wait to get started with the sequel.

Title: Cress (chapter one)
Series: The Lunar Chronicles, #3
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating: ★★★★★

Her satellite made one full orbit around planet Earth every sixteen hours. It was a prison that came with an endlessly breathtaking view-vast blue oceans and swirling clouds and sunrises that set half the world on fire.- Marissa Meyer, Cress

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levena and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker - unfortunately, she's just recieved orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levena will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.
source: goodreads.com

Thank you Netgalley and Feiwel and Friends for providing me with a copy of this book!

After finishing Scarlet, I quickly decided to request Cress by Marissa Meyer, even though it is only the first chapter. I was worried I wasn't going to be statisfied. I was right. Not only am I not statisfied with the first chapter, my hunger for Cress grew even bigger. To get a glimpse at Cress' world gives me the umpteenth impression that Meyer gave an original twist a fairy tale we all know, in this case the story of Rapunzel. Traditional elements are included such as the endless blond hair, yet also surprising ones such as her tower being a satillite. Immediately I felt pity for Cress as a character, not to mention the growing hatred for Sybil.

Now I wonder where this story is going to go.

Salt (Salt, #1) by Danielle Ellison
Published: January 7th 2014 by Entangled Teen
Pages: 266

Penelope is a witch, part of a secret society protecting humans from demon attacks. But when she was a child, a demon killed her parents - and stole her magic. Since then, she's been pretending to be something she's not, using her sister's magic to hide her own loss, to prevent being sent away.

When she's finally given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force, Penelope thinks that will finally change. With her sister's help, she can squeeze through the tests and get access to the information she needs to find "her" demon. To take back what was stolen.

Then she meets Carter. He's cute, smart, and she can borrow his magic, too. He knows her secret - but he also has one of his own.

Suddenly, Penelope's impossible quest becomes far more complicated. Because Carter's not telling her everything, and it's starting to seem like the demons have their own agenda... and they're far too interested in her.

A boy leans against the brick wall, brown leather jacket, jeans that are too tight, bright-blue Converses and an amused smile. He can't be a Non; if he was he'd be screaming his head off by now. He must be something else, a witch, maybe?
"Oh, sorry" he says, pushing away from the wall and stepping toward me. "Keep dancing. Didn't mean to interrupt. Expelling a demon is a good reason to celebrate-even when it took you ten minutes."

Thank you Entangled Publishing for providing me with an advanced reading copy for review.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

To be honest, I expected Salt to turn out like many books I've read: an interesting idea, but that's all. Thank God it doesn't fit in the category. Salt has one of my guilty pleasures as its subject: witches. I haven't read many books that have to do with it, so I'm very glad this one did.

Right from the start it catches your attention. It's so fast paced, when you put it down you'll realise you're already fifty pages in. Penelope's first impression was someone awkward who has a fear of failure, thus someone who wants to prove herself. It stayed that way throughout the entire novel, which I loved. She stayed in her character, yet made a development here and there. Her sense of humour was close to mine, which made me laugh a couple of times. I liked her, but the outstanding characters were Ric and Carter. Ric is the stereotypic gay best friend, I always enjoyed his presence. Carter was my #1. His amazing chemistry with Penelope was there from the very moment they met. I always love relationships that start with one teasing the other, and this was no exception. The romance between Penelope and Carter was build up slowly and made it believable.

To start with the plot, I'd like to point out how much I appreciated that certain things such as Enforcer, Pairing and Triad were quickly explained so you didn't have any trouble with finding out what they are.
Now, witches and demons. I would have never thought about the idea of ever combining the two. It's not something I've seen together, nor a witch who lost her powers. It worked out very well, marking Salt as original and unique. Other elements such as the examination, the pairing and Penelope's research for her demon were a nice addition to the story. But oh God, to the people who have read Salt, can we all agree on how intense the examination was? I knew she was going to pass all the stages, but it did not stop me from having a lump in my throat from fear. Each examination was build up to a climax and what happened in each of them was just, really well done. It kept the story interesting when we got to slower paced parts.

The reason I'm not giving Salt a full five stars, was because there were little things that annoyed me and they couldn't be ignored. For example, I really liked the writing, except for the few freakings and craps. They didn't appear much. When they did, it caught my attention. A few swears in a book makes it believable. Thirty, not so much. Although there being some amazing plot twists I did not see coming, other things in the book felt predictable, for example the fact that Penelope's able to pull magic from Carter. How it was possible, however, left me in shock.. Lastly, Salt reminded me of The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare for several reasons: demons, a whole society of witches, glamour, and so on. I can understand if one doesn't agree with this last statement. Mostly because it's hard as a writer to create a low fantasy world when most ideas are already taken.

Despite the little issues I had with this book, Salt is a debut where there's always something going on. Wether it's research or action and you can't help but to keep reading until you're on the very last page. The romance was wonderfully put together and I can't wait to see how the story continues in the sequel.

As a quick read between one book and another, I decided to read four short stories on one night. In total, one hundred and sixty pages, which is acceptable to count as a book. Three of the chosen stories are all sequels to a collection of ten short stories centered around Magnus Bane, The Bane Chronicles. I've had ups and downs with this series and my opinion is individual to all previous short stories, and these three were no exception. The fourth short story is an extra scene to the sixth and final book in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series: Homecoming. I needed to read this as a mental withdrawal to this fantastic series.

Title: Saving Raphael Santiago
Series: The Bane Chronicles, #6
Author: Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: ★★★☆☆

"I have never told you anything more true than this. Believe this, if you believe nothing else. Raphael saved himself." 

- Magnus Bane, Saving Raphael Santiago 

A Manhattan teen - Raphael Santiago - is missing, and Magnus bane must track him down before it's too late. In 1950s New York City, a distraught mother hires Magnus to find her missing son, Raphael. But even if he can be found, is Raphael beyond saving? 
source: goodreads.com

To my surprise, I discovered to find that Raphael Santiago has been compelling in The Mortal Instruments series, as in addicting but bad. He's a character you have a love-hate relationship with from the very start of the series. I enjoyed learning about the character's past because honestly: what do you even know about the guy? Dark and mysterious, a few kills now and then. I don't know wether to feel pity for him, to see what he's been through and his relationship with his mother. To finish this short review: that Herondale reference was hilarious.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Title: The Fall of the Hotel Dumort
Series: The Bane Chronicles, #7
Author: Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

"What do you do?" the woman asked.
"This and that," Magnus said.
"Are you in fashion? You look like you're in fashion."
"No", he said. "I am fashion." 

- Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson, The Fall of Hotel Dumort

Magnus Bane watches the once-glamorous Hotel Dumort become something else altogether in 1970s New York City.
Fifty years after the Jazz Age rise of the Hotel Dumort, immortal warlock Magnus Bane knows the Manhatten landmark is on the decline. The once-beautiful Hotel Dumort has fallen into a decayed thing, a ruin, as dead as a place can be. But the vampires don't mind...
source: goodreads.com

This book gave the impression that the seventies were all about drugs and a rather stereotypical description of it. I can understand Magnus opinion on this topic and it's clear he wasn't born for disco and wild patterns. After reading two short stories about vampires, I'm quite sick of the constant vampires and long for a bit of variety. The Fall of Hotel Dumort seems to be the last one in the trilogy, which I'm not sad about. To talk about the story itself, it was lovely to see Magnus taking care of Camille after being affected by the drugs, how he still cared for her (and her health). The rest, rather boring actually.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Title: What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything
Series: The Bane Chronicles, #8
Author: Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: ★★★★☆

Against his will, Magnus found a smile curving his lips as he rummaged around for his big blue coffee cup that said BETTER THAN GANDALF across the front is sparkly letters. He was besotted; he was offically revolted by himself

- Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan, What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything 

Set in the time between City of Ashes and City of Glass, warlock Magnus Bane is determined to find the best birthday present possible for Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhuntr he may or may not be dating. And he's also got to deal with the demon he's conjured up for a very irritating client...

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Yes yes yes! Finally a story that seems to be written from Cassandra Clare herself instead of her co-writers. I was like being in the world of The Mortal Instruments again. I recognized her way of writing and the humour she uses in her primary works. The typical Magnus Bane were back and I couldn't help myself but to enjoy it very much. The conversation with the demon was hilarious. The way he introduced himself and the awkward moment between the two was well done, and so was Bill Herondale (yes, I said it right). I couldn't stop smiling throughout the entire story.

I loved the romance between Magnus and Alec in The Mortal Instruments. I was very glad to get a look behind the scenes of their relationship. I'm so sad to say I'm a little dissappointed with this part of the story. The fact that I wanted it to be longer had nothing to do with it. What did, was the lack of live Malec romance. I wasn't statisfied with a flashback and an ending. Besides this little problem, this is definitely a story to give you a warm and romantic feeling. Ideal for the holidays!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Title: Homecoming
Series: Vampire Academy, #6.5
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction)
Rating: ★★★★★

Dimitri smiled and put his arm around me. "Don't you believe in fate, Roza?""Sure", I said. "Just not in your grandmother's crazy vague predictions.""Doesn't sound that crazy to me," he teased."You're as crazy as her."He kissed the top of my head. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

- Rose Hathaway, Homecoming

Homecoming is about Rose and Dimitri, the couple from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series. They are going back to Russia to see Dimitri's family, something that both of them sorely need. Dimitri had finally been restored into a dhampir, after being forcibly changed into Strigoi. His family needs to see him for themselves, and Rose needs to go back to Russia and face her trauma from the trip she made before.
source: richellemead.com/books/anthologies.htm and goodreads.com

I can finally leave the Vampire Academy series in peace after reading this wonderful short story. It contains everything a fan of this series needs to be fully statisfied: action, romance and a prediction from Dimitri's grandmother Yeva. Even if you don't ship Rosa and Dimitri as a couple, you can't not smile at the way this story wrapped up. Starting the novel, you expect it to be full of happy faces and kisses and one big reunion. We get that, but after a while you start to notice that Rose and Dimitri's vacation quickly turns out into another journey. To hunt down a mysterious Strigoi called The Blood King. I hoped him to be an old character of the series, but then came the realisation that there was no old guy to use. So besides it not turning out as I hoped it would be, Homecoming is still an actionpacked short story with a heart-warming scene in both beginning and the end.

Title: UnEarthed
Author: Rebecca Bloomer
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

"We are Martian. Your religion isn't ours. Our god is Mars. Our religion is science. Anything we do in the service of Mars, is good. Make no mistake, Earth girl, we are both right and good."

- Rebecca Bloomer, UnEarthed 

Within Anphobos, there grows a new race. The first generation of humans never to set foot on Earth. They are pale skinned, large eyed and worship no god but science. They possess technological skills and processes Earth has refused to acknowledge. Until now...
Fresh off Earth, Jodi Scarfield doesn't really care for Mars or its politics. Still, accusations of treason will get a girl's attention...
source: goodreads.com

Thank you Netgalley and Odyssey Books for providing me with a copy of this book!

After reading the description, I honestly didn't know what to expect from UnEarthed. Maybe aliens and Mars and other elements from space. I got that, but I'm still sad to stay that I'm dissapointed.

Rebecca Bloomer has a writing style that definitely needs some getting used to in the beginning. Although I was used to it in the end, I don't like it. I don't like her choice of words, her sentence structure. Especially her choice of words. In one chapter, I read the word "chuckled" too many times. It made it seem like she didn't use a wide horizon of verbs and did lazy writing.

I also felt like there could have been much story to this book than it has. The idea of Mars wanting to seperate themselves from Earth and rebels is a great subject to start from. I had not read something like this, which makes it original in a way, but where the story headed wasn't interesting. Acclimatization, politics and technology was logical and fitting, but not something to keep someone interested in a story. The slow pace didn't help much. In the end I was waiting around for something to happen. I didn't get the chance to connect with the characters either. They felt flat and unnatural, that they're just there to entertain.

Overall, I liked that the story had something that other books in the YA genre hadn't: the colonization of Mars and the natives wanting to be independent. That's just a small thing compared to all the things I did not like, those mentioned in the previous alinea. I just wished it had more of a plot and something going on than what it has now.

Title: Scarlet
Series: The Lunar Chronicles, #2
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Alpha female" he murmured. "I sort of like that." Beaming, Scarlet gave a mild shrug. "It could grow on me."

- Wolf and Scarlet, Scarlet

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison - even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has loved in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levena, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

I offically called Cinder one of my favourite books of 2013. But then, I got to read the second book in The Lunar Chronicles: Scarlet. What a book.

Despite there not being a Disney movie, Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale I loved as a child. I still do. Even before reading, my love for this fairy tale made me more excited about Scarlet than I was for Cinder. This may have also to do with the setting I so adore. France is a perfect country for the story of Little Red Riding Hood to take place. It's not something stereotypical, yet very fitting.

We dive into Scarlet with Scarlet Benoit getting comm about her grandmother's case. I got bombed with questions, but no answers. After a while I wanted to know the exact same things as Scarlet did. Maybe because we were in her head? It didn't matter. I felt her sadness, frustration and anger. I felt compassion for a character. That's not something I do a lot.

The first appearance of the stranger, by hearing Émilie talking about him, I knew. I knew he was the boy from The Queen's Army. Immediatly I felt such pity, and confusion. How did he end up in a tavern in France? What happened with his pack? Him telling his story didn't help much either, because the things he told didn't make sense with what I've read. I tried to put pieces together, but I kept failing. Almost never did I want to know more so desperately. I wanted to know what happened. It wasn't until he told the truth I "figured it out". I hated myself for not seeing it through.

From the beginning on, I wondered how Cinder and Scarlet were supposed to meet. They had nothing in common: a farmer from Rieux, France and a cyborg from New Beijing. The author just had to surprise me once again. We get an answer to Cinder's past and the connection to Scarlet, which is done perfectly. It makes sense and I applaud the author for having everything detailed very well.

While Scarlet is searching for her missing grandmother, there's suddenly a chapter with information about a Captain Thorne. What may be confusing at first, gets cleared in a jiffy when Cinder makes her appearance. For a moment, I was afraid of an upcoming love triangle between Cinder, Kai and Thorne. Thank the Gods it didn't, but just because nothing romantic between the two happened, I really enjoyed their chemistry. Cinder and Thorne can both be a know-it-all, and sometimes that clashes. When it does, it brings along hilarious conversations. And I haven't even talked about one of the most complicated hate-love romances: the one between Scarlet and Wolf. Their romance is one of the highlights in Scarlet. It was done correctly, their dialogues were realistic and loveable. They fit perfectly: Scarlet, a fierce badass and Wolf: shy but dangerous. Marissa Meyer never fails to create characters that are to die for.

The only little thing I had to struggle with in the beginning, was getting used to the multiple stories at once. In the previous book, Cinder, we had the same story but from different points of view. In Scarlet, we have multiple points of view, but also two completely different stories. Looking back, I now find this rather a luxury problem, because I became quickly used to reading both. Using this method, I guess that's why what made me finish it so fast. In the transition from Cinder's situation to Scarlet's, sometimes one ended with a small cliffhanger. That, and the fast pace, was what made me kept interested.

I got to love Scarlet as a person even more than Cinder, so I'll wonder if I'll love Cress even more.
My expectations? An original take on the fairy tale of Rapunzel, Cinder taking on her role as a princess and development in that, more Wolf x Scarlet scenes and Cinder x Thorne humour.

Title: The Queen's Army
Series: The Lunar Chronicles, #2.5
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Tor Books

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

He knew that Jeal's pack would be chossen for the queen's mission because of him. They would become her special, prized soldiers. Their bodies would not be tampered with again.

- Marissa Meyer, The Queen's Army 

It is time. The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen's army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. The boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen -- and to himself -- that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack.
source: goodreads.com

In an unnecessary anticipation for Scarlet (the book's already out), I decided to read the short story taking place before the second book in The Lunar Chronicles: The Queen's Army. I still don't know wether it was the best to read it before Scarlet, or read Scarlet first. I did the first option, and I think I'm okay with that, although I'm currently dealing with lots of questions.

To be honest, if it wasn't for the Queen's appearance and the mention of Luna and Artemisia, The Queen's Army could have been a novella from a completely different series. No glass slippers or androids, but soldiers and wolf packs. I really enjoyed this type of novella. It's interesting to see how a little boy can evolve from Omega to Alpha, with cruelty and violence. The whole wolf thing in general is one of my weaknesses when it comes to reading, so that was very nice to have.

The reason I didn't give it five stars was because of the length of pages. I wanted more! Okay, it's a novella, but The Queen's Army has definitely brought up some feelings, and questions like I said. I feel so bad for Z and his brother. How Z wanted to defend him but he kept pushing him away. I really want to see more of him, and I have a slight feeling that I will.

Title: Fracture Me
Series: Shatter Me, #2.5
Auhtor: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Rating: ★ ★ ★

"Its you first", I say to him. "It's always you first and everyone else second. And that's never going to chance. Okay?"
James nods again. A tear falls on the floor between us. "Okay, Addie."
- Adam, Fracture Me

As Omega Point prepares to launch an all-out assault on The Reestablishment soldiers stationed in Sector 45, Adam's focus couldn't be further from the upcoming battle. He's reeling from his breakup with Juliette, scared for his best friend's life, and as concerned as ever for his brother James' safety. And just as Adam begins to wonder if this life is really for him, the alarms sound. It's time for war.
On the battlefield, it seems like the odds are in their favor-but taking down Warner, Adam's newly discovered half brother, won't be that easy. The Reestablishment can't tolerate a rebellion, and they'll do anything to crush the resistance... including killing everyone Adam has ever cared about.
source: goodreads.com

Fracture Me is told from Adam's point of view. I don't like Adam. From the moment when I finished Shatter Me, I didn't like him. I don't ship Adam with Juliette, nor I ever will. Upon finishing this novella, I think it has made me like Adam even less. Yet I don't think this has to much with the character and his actions. Where oh where was his depth? Reading from Adam's point of view, he's being depicted as a flat, superficial character with no clear character traits. To do talk about Adam's character in general, that guy curses a lot. I know guys who do too, but Adam exceeds them all. Also, he seems to describe things and acts like he's on his period. When he's being mean to his brother for no reason, a few chapters later you find him hugging James and telling him he loves him. I do like the bond between James and Adam. Despite his period, the bromance is very sweet at some times. It left me saying ooooh and aaaah at the right times.

In most of the novellas I've read, there's barely any action. They exist for character development, background information, world building, etc. Fracture Me, however, contained that what I really appreciate: some action. I'm speechless and I don't know what to do with myself. How am I supposed to wait for Ignite Me after reading what just happened? About that: I wonder how Tahereh Mafi is going to fix that thing with Juliette in Ignite Me. Not everyone reads the inbetween novellas. There is a sneak peek after Fracture Me, but I know that if I start reading I have to keep on going. I hope you realise how hard this is for me.

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Rating: ☆☆☆ and a half

Reagan was sitting up Cath's desk when Cath woke up.
"Are you awake?"
"Have you been watching me sleep?"
"Yes, Bella. Are you awake?"
"No."
- Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan ...
But for Cath, being a fan is her life - and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the world of the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath's sister has mostly grown away from the fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.
Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
Source: goodreads.com

Before reading, I already knew it existed. I was so excited I finally got the chance to start reading Fangirl as a buddy read. After I finished it last night, I couldn't help but smile. It was such a cute holiday read. The romance between Cather and Levi was the highlight of the book. The plot itself could have been every fangirl's life. Rainbow Rowell did an amazing job in portraying the love from a girl towards her fandom. I, like every other reading person, can relate. Reagan, Wren and Levi were characters I enjoyed very much. Their developments and flaws were realistic, I love them.

On the other hand, I felt like an alien for not being in love with this book. It's not like Fangirl is the best book ever. The main reason why I had several struggles, was the main protagonist, Cather. From reading the description, you got the idea Fangirl would be about letting things go and make room for new ones. In the end, there's barely anything from left. I can understand that it's hard to write something new, that it's hard to be out of your comfort zone when going to college. But everyone has has these problems, and Cather made it seem like she was the only one dealing with it. No one goes to college and is immediately okay. You have to get used to new things before you can deal with them the right way. I liked the end where it shown that Cather had written the story about her mother. It's a sign of moving on. But in my opinion, it could have been a lot sooner. Don't mind me, being socially awkward as hell. I'd be the same in the beginning. But the person who Cather is in the beginning keeps dragging on and on, and there's almost no development until the very end.

I went straight into Fangirl with a hatred for fanfiction. I hated it, and you'd have never see me fangirling about it. You still wouldn't. Although, after reading, I feel like my hatred has been lowered to not liking. I first thought fanfiction was something girls wrote who couldn't come up with something better. That fanfiction were dreams, put into words and shared with others who aren't statisfied with the original books. Fangirl has confirmed my statements, but also made me understand it better. Why come up with a new story with new characters, when you can keep writing about the characters you love? By putting them into new situations and sending them on new adventures, you can expand the fandom and keep it alive. The Harry Potter fandom is the #1 example. The last book came out in 2007, yet it's alive as ever.

Conclusion? Fangirl was worth the read. It changed my point of view about fanfiction, and the romance was so sweet. But Cather, dear Cather, that girl got on my nerves every once in a while.

Title: World After
Series: Penryn and the End of Days, #2
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Skyscape
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

"Come on, admit it, Pooky Bear, I say to the sword. "You love your new look. All the other swords will be jealous." 

- Penryn Young, World After

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paiger, 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 wich 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, wich will he choose?
Source: goodreads.com

Oh Susan Ee. You have done it again. Although.. I might have had some struggles.

For starters, I did not like how Angelfall ended up with Paige being who she has become. For that, I didn't like how World After started. Paige with her stiches and teeth, her attacks, etc. Her presence did not last very long, so I was happy again with her being gone. For some reason, in the end with her turning into a total badass, kicking and biting Beliel, my  dislike for that kid took a surprising turn. Maybe it already happend after the video scenes. Susan Ee has given that much development and depth to Paige's character so now I find her a total badass.

From page one and so on, I missed Raffe. I missed him more than any character in the world when being missing. He's that kind of character who's hilarious and extremely handsome, something I've learned to appreciate to the fullest. I haven't even talked about the Raffryn chemistry! Those two were a perfect ship in Angel. Now, in World After, one cannot ship one another if the other one is gone. You see where this alinea is heading?  The biggest struggle I had to endure in this book would have to be not having them together. I was constantly hoping for a reunion, and we didn't get that one until the very end. That is why I screamed and giggled way too much when there was a mention of him at the angel party. Fun and all, but way too late. In my opinion, Raffe could have returned to Penryn to help them escape Alcatraz. In general, he could have returned way sooner. I did mind the interesting plot and all, but I think it's very clear that Miss Penryn Young is not the character I love without him. A lack of humour and optimism were very noticable. The first time I actually laughed out loud was not the first Pooky Bear moment, but one of the last ones.

"Have you named her yet?" he asks. "She likes powerful names so maybe you could appease her by giving her a good one.
I bite my lip as I remember telling Dee-Dum what I named my sword. "Um, I could rename her anything she likes."
I give him a cheesy smile.
He looks like he's bracing himself for the worst. "She gets named once by each carrier. If you've named her, she's stuck with it as long as she's with you.
Damn.
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."

I laughed so hard and reads those lines over and over again. Guys, that is what I like to call: my sense of humour.

In Angelfall you have Raffryn and their moments. In World After, Raffe's gone (like I said, *sniff*) and Penryn gets to see way more of the World After. How the current situation actually is after the angel apocalypse. Examples I liked very much were Alcatraz and just more of the labs in general. The parties and angel politics were also a nice addition to the world building. However, whilst some things were explained and finally made sense, others are getting intense. I like it how this book got me to like the story as much as the characters. Why Uriel has his trophy girls has not yet been explained. Maybe we'll never get an answer. I think I'm okay with that. Since  I am talking about his trophy girls, that scene has to be the best one out of the entire book. Elements from the 20's made it even more fabulous. But, Judgement Day? What is going on. Argh, so many questions!

I may have learned to like certain things, but there will always be that one thing you can't like, how hard you try. In my case, it has to be those damned locusts scorpion human angel things. I don't thing they match the angel apocalypse aspect at all, and I won't even consider learning to like them. I just don't.

So now I really look forward to the next books in this series. Let's hope that Susan never, ever splits Raffryn up again.

Title: Glitches
Series: Lunar Chronicles, #0,5
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

"Right. A glitch." She feigned a nonchalant smile, hoping the android couldn't detect the grimace that came with it. "Maybe that's all it is." 

- Cinder, Glitches

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed her for her step sister's illness. In Glitches, a short prequel story to Cinder, we see the results of that illness play out, and the emotional toll that takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch....
source: goodreads.com

I really enjoyed 'Glitches', a short story taking place before the events of 'Cinder'. I liked it to be Cinder's first encounter with her family and the first impressions. Also, thanks to Marissa Meyer for adding a heart-wrenching ending when I thought there was nothing left to the story. Oh well, she is known to me for her amazing plot twists and that was not an exception. It's just so stupid. Poor Cinder never really got a chance to have a deep conversation with her dad. All kids must have one with their parents to really have a bond. I know this because I have one with my mum every week. Maybe that's how Marissa wanted it to turn out. To add another little tragic thing to Cinder's life. This leaves me at the last thing I want to talk about: how 'Glitches' could have been a great prologue. Like that I would have cried my eyes out with Peony in 'Cinder'. I would have gotten a OH NO NOT AGAIN GOD DAMMIT. I love to get those. Back to the prologue question, I'm probably going to bed tonight, trying to understand why it wasn't one.

Title: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating: ★★★★★

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly Plague ravages the population. From space, a 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 citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stephmother 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.

If one thought writing a review about a bad book was difficult, wait until you get the chance to read a one of the best. Cinder is without a doubt in my top five favourite books of 2013. Maybe even in my top three. The writing style, the plot, the characters were truly amazingly done. Although this being a sci-fi novel, filled with hovers and androids and cyborgs, from the first few pages on it managed to grip me and fall in love with it.

That little extra thing that completed it all were the realistic elements. With that, I mean the believability of the characters and the way the plot went. Just because it's based on a fairy tale, does not mean it has to end the same way. Talking about the characters themselves, I love when I get the full opportunity to choose wether to love or hate them. I've chosen to love Kai, to love Cinder, to love Dr. Erland. Maybe even to love Adri. Levena and Pearl can die. I won't mind.

That other thing about the characters I adored, was the choices they made. I've read quite a few YA novels this year to know the pet peeves. One of them was that whatever some charactes did to mess things up, in the end they always make the choice that's the best for everyone. Thank the Gods it did not happen in Cinder. I am so, so grateful. Thank you Prince Kai to make a stupid decicion. Thanks Cinder for not doing what you're supposed to do.

Overall, thank you Marissa Meyer for the creation of Cinder. I may have exams coming up, yet I wonder if that will stop me from starting Scarlet.

Champion (Legend, #3) by Marie Lu
Publisher: November 5th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 369

He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

"Time heals all wounds. But not this one. Not yet.

I finished Champion about ten minutes ago. I still don't know what to think. From page 305, I'm glad to say I finished that part in one sitting. The ending left me in tears, as well did the epilogue. I'm so glad Champion didn't turned out to be a major dissapointment. Yet I'm so sad to not be able to rate this any higher than four stars.

I dove straight into Champion with very high expectations. The Republic is on the edge of war. The action-packed events in Prodigy leave you devestated. Sadly, there wasn't much happening in most of this book. From one point to another it just seemed like Marie Lu was writing without thinking what she wrote.

I really don't like writing negative details down about such a wonderful book, so I'm just going to write some down that really did it for me. Champion might be the only Distopian YA novel I've read, that does include other countries, other worlds. Despite the trip being boring, I couldn't help myself being fascinated about how it's like in other countries. For me, that was a big addition to the final world building. Also that June plot twist? I did not see that one coming, at all. Whilst I remembered some details about Prodigy, there were others I completely forgot. Well played, Marie Lu. Well played.

So maybe it wasn't as fast paced and action-packed as I thought it would be, I still enjoyed it very much. The painful ending left me statisfied. And now.. I'm going to wait for The Young Elites, I guess.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Published: May 18th 2004 by Vintage
Pages: 226

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out a terrifying journey will turn his whole upside down.

Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them. 

I can't believe I thought how bad this book would be when I got to hear we were going to read it for required reading in English class. I never heard a positive thing about it, so I had such low hopes for this when I started reading. Yet, as I got further and further into it, I started wondering if this was the same book my friends told me about. This wasn't bad at all.

In fact, so beautiful! So well done, and so realistic. The way Mark Haddon described events from Christopher's point of view... I truly believed it. Autism is not a subject I get to read about, being a student of human sciences. In fact, this was a first for me. How interesting it was, I don't think I'll keep reading in that genre.

May I take a paragraph to talk about the plot twist, around page one hundred and fifty? My heart broke into thousands of little pieces. Whilst Christopher was still busy with figuring things out, the minute I read the first letter, I knew. I loved how the family drama part got to play something. It made me appreciate how hard it must be for Christopher's environment to get along with him.

Getting closer to the ending, things started getting complicated for me. Mark Haddon seemed to pay way more attention to unimportant issues, leaving me with other things happening in a jiffy. Maybe that's how Christopher saw it. Still, it was quite a drawback. Also the Math and other clever things did not feel very interesting to me.

Conclusion? I liked it very much, I really did. It's just sad it went a bit downhill towards the end.

Uglies (Uglies, #1) by Scott Westerfeld
Published: Februrary 8th 2005 by Simon Pulse
Pages: 448

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not fer her license - for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all.

"What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful."

I don't know what happened. It started out really well and I suddenly found myself having high expectations. It really became interesting. The interesting part did not last long enough to give this more than three stars. There were definitely parts I needed to struggle through. Kind in a lazy mood today, so I'm just going to make a "list" to clear my thoughts.

Positives:
As far as I know, not many book have a dystopia where everyone above the ago of sixteen is physically "perfect" because of plastic chirurgery as their subject. First of all: I think plastic chirurgery is such an amazing idea to write about. The many possiblities one can have! No matter how your book turns out, it's original. Maybe even interesting. I mean, in this book, no one knows what an ugly above the ago of sixteen looks like. The idea seemed so cool that the first half was very entertaining to read. Also the end, with you-know-what-if-you've-read-the-book... I finished it so quickly.

Negatives:
I did not connect with the characters at all, nor the story. It felt plain at most times. This book being set hundreds of years in the future has nothing to do with the story not being believable. What did, was - like I said - the lack of connection.
Also names and places in general could have been a lot better. A book with towns like 'New Pretty Town', 'Crumbleville' and 'Uglyville' made it seem as if I was reading a children's book. Not a YA novel. Okay, I understand that the author may have wanted it like this, yet that does not mean I'm love with it.

I'll probably read the second book "Pretties" out of pure curiousity what might happen. Somewhere deep inside, there's a little part of me screaming Pretties won't dissapoint. Now I wonder if I'll follow my instincts, or simply ignore it.

Back with a new, more entertaining post than yesterday's. It seems like I've got over it with the help of my best friend. She texted me that that is great because now I'm participating the internship the same year as she. "Also the three of us can go there by bike every single day. Yay !", so she says. In case you don't know, I can't ride a bike very properly. Anyhoo..

I'm currenly reading the second book in the Mortal Instruments series, simply because I left The Host with my dad. No regrets after all, currenly at page 220 out of the 445. Or, in my case: page 858 out of 1735. That's right, another virtual book ! I purchased the first two when I recieved my first iTunes card with christmas, and thank God I didn't purchase the whole lot. Virtual book are nice but.. Wait, a list would be better. Behold, the pros and contras of virtual books.

1. They don't smell as good. In fact, they don't have a smell at all.
2. I can't hug and hold them like I do with real books.
3. It's not safe when reading them nearby water.
4. If my phone battery dies, I can say that I'm kind of screwed.
5. You look more asociable when reading in front of your friends. Not that I give a damn.
6. If you turn your phone, it can skip a few pages. Chapters sometimes..
7. If your phone just crashes..
8. I have to buy an iTunes card before being able to buy one.
9. I read a lot slower than I usually do.

But

1. I don't need a lamp, it produces light itself

2. Easier to turn a page

3. I can read them on the bus, in class..

4. Easier to hold

5. Smaller

6. More handy to carry around

7. I can mark something in it, and still be able to undo it

8. The iBooks store is closer than the actual one

9. Cheaper

10. Better for the climate (no waste of trees)

11. The iBooks store has a larger selection to offer

That's nine contras against eleven pros, and still not convinced of the virtual books at all. The most important reasons why I like reading, are all to find in the pro-section. So I'm sorry, but no virtual books for me anymore. A thing that supports my choice more than ever, is that I've bought City of Bones, aka the first book on my phone.Other than my opinion, I am for once interested in yours.



Picture: behindthebutterfly.tumblr.com

 

What I think is a great idea for today is to finally show you the video I posted on Youtube many days ago - propably eleven. During my previous sickness and feelings of going to die, I achieved to make my very first Youtube video, and what did I made..

An ideal Divergent cast ! They are starting with filming somewhere in April, to be released next year. Shailene Woodley has been cast as Tris, wich follows up with my own opinion about this choice; why? First of all, I don't see Shailene playing this role. Tris should be a small girl with more of a young face, and is supposed to have striking features. Before you go mad and start to complain to my complain, saying that she will look great in the film. Just because Jennifer Lawrence pulled off a cameleon trick, doesn't mean that any actress can do the same. She may appear in my video as Tris, but only because she is officially casted and there's nothing more to do about it. My own choice for Tris must have been Saoirse Ronan, before she got cast as Melanie for The Host. Now, it's definitely Ginny Gardner. Thank you Divergent wikia.

Four. What is there left to say about Four? Everything ! Behold, the mighty upcoming discussion.
Four is this kind of caracter who must be good looking, have some muscles, look brave and not torn at all from the outside, and is also willing to play the Tobias-part: soft, loving with hidden scars and fears from his past. Overally said, a really good actor. My choice for this part is not fixed on one actor only, rather a larger crowd to pick from. For example, my top three: Steven R. McQueen aka Jeremy Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries, Jeremy Irvine aka the boy from War Horse (must see !) or the hottie from Now Is Good. The first place is currently given to Drew Roy, aka Jesse from Hannah Montana. I didn't look that much to Drew's acting, so fingers crossed that he can pull it off. Happy with Jeremy or Steven anyway. One who I never want to see in Divergent, is Alex Pettyfer. He said no to the role of Jace Wayland in City of Bones since he wants mature roles. Why, Alex, did you play in I am number four or Beastly? Every TMI Fangirl all over the world wanted you as Jace. It would be too weird to see you as Four. So: no thank you.

Before I make this post way too long, last but not least I really want to talk about Caleb. I'm sorry if this descision may bother all of the Demi Gods out there, but I for sure want to see Logan Lerman as the brother of Tris. He has it all: brown hair, the smart look, the acting skills.. Plus, I am conviced that he can play the bad guy for once. Or twice. Triple?

I'm not that sure that I've completely made you excited to see my choice for the cast. To add the desperate effect: please watch this video, give it a thumbs up even when you don't like it, and be sure to subscribe for this one video I've uploaded !

Good night to all of the Initiates out there !