True Love Story

Sparrow Fisher is transforming. No longer dressed up in antiquated clothes and ideals, she is finally trying on her freedom.

Before she moves to New York City, she meets Ian Sterling, a musician Sparrow has dreamed about since she first saw him. The attraction is instant, but their relationship isn't so simple.

Over a five year span, Sparrow and Ian run into each other in unusual places. Each time, Sparrow has to decide if she can trust him, if he feels the same for her, and finally, if love is really enough.

3 STARS out of 5
TITLE: True Love Story
AUTHOR: Willow Aster
GENRE: New Adult 

I do believe he loves me.

I just don't believe it's enough.

I wasn't enough for him for the last couple of years, why would I think I could be enough now?

Seeing as this book's first chapter was at the end of Dirty Red by Tarryn Fisher (from my fave romance series) and of course, the high ratings this book received, I was expecting more from it.

Most especially from its hero, Ian.

At first, I've skeptically regarded Ian a bit on the cheesy side BUT THE LETTERS he sent to Sparrow after the whole stupid affair just proved it isn't just a bit! The author even dedicated a whole chapter for that 2-month period of cheesiness alone. A whole freaking chapter!!

Since the aforementioned letters, I was skimming the pages and rolling my eyes at the same time. Then it started to become NOT really sweet and cute at all. It's a bit stalkerish (as Ian said so himself) and it's pissing me off! I seriously just wanted to shoot him and get it over with.

For me, everything went downhill from there.

I enjoy writing about simple things, really, but in a funny, honest way. I'm not too flowery or even deep. I mean... I can go there, but it's most fun to put a twist on an every day subject. Or to write a love story that has real, flawed characters. I don't like things to be wrapped up with a bright red bow. Life isn't that way. -Sparrow

Okay, I get it.

This is about real, flawed characters, but so are the loads of romance fiction books on the market. I don't want my stories wrapped up in a pretty neat red bow either; but the events leading to the much anticipated ending fell a bit short.

I expected more drama worthy of some emotional pull... but nothing happened. What follows are short stories of how Sparrow had one botched relationship after another, all in an effort to forget.

I wanted to love this book, I really do.

But as you can see, I just can't.

Geek Girl

Harriet Manners knows a lot of things.

She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves.

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did.

And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

3 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Geek Girl
AUTHOR: Holly Smale
GENRE: Young Adult

Meet Harriet Manners -- our resident 15 y/o geek girl.

"I'm not a big fan of the colour red, even if it is the longest wavelength of light discernible by the human eye."

Well, my fave color is red, and I didn't know that.

Let me tell you, I feel pretty giddy whenever I start a book.  I believe that no book can be so bad that it doesn't contain even a single new knowledge or information.

Fortunately, this book is full of them.  I'm seriously learning lots of actual trivias while reading this YA goodie -- now, that's a first.

Because this book dragged a bit at times, I don't think this could be read in one sitting.  Took me almost a month and other good books in between to finish this one.  But whenever I pick it up again, I found myself enjoying the few chapters.  Nothing beats good humor in an uneventful day.

The only thing that irritates me the most was the varied terms of endearment used by the top model agent, Wilbur.

Petal, Sponge-finger, Chocolate-drops, Baby-baby Unicorn.

Like, seriously??? She must have called Harriet a hundred different names throughout the book!

First off, I have nothing against the gay community.  I don't even know how fashion mavens talk but I thought Wilbur's personality was so exaggerated it's NOT even funny.  In fact, whenever I read about Wilbur's line, I feel like pulling my hair out.  It's just so annoying!!

Thank goodness, I let that out.

~This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exhange for an honest review.

Manipulating the List

 Katherine Elizabeth Sheppard is only one heart-pounding step ahead of the Collector. A friendship of sixteen years suddenly transformed into a game of manipulation after her name appears on the Collector's list. Responding to little more than the primitive instinct for survival at any cost, she becomes a cold-blooded killer at the age of twenty-two. But her assistance in mortality can't stop there, she must continue to assist in the death of others in order to bypass her own fate.

3 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Manipulating the List 
AUTHOR: K.B. Lever   
GENRE: Young Adult

SPOILERS AHEAD. Read at your own risk.

First of all, I’d like to disclose that this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. I’m open to new reads and I happen to like the premise of this one. Minus the cover, not really eye-catching. To be honest, sometimes book covers influence the way I prioritize my top tbr. Anyway, this book takes the grim reaper stuff to a whole new level. This is a story about Jonathan and Katherine. A story about the weird friendship between a boy who collects souls based on a list AND the one girl who could manipulate the said list.

 

This was going to be the beginning of our new friendship; a friendship where he would give me clues to find his next victim and then my race would ensue to find them before the collection time so that he could bypass collecting me.

 

At first, this book seriously gave me the headache. 

Okay, I know how the Collector works, but I felt confused as hell with all this manipulating mumbo jumbo. It was stated that “by the end of the given timeframe, a name on the list would have to be collected."

If that’s the case, and the Collector has been doing this for decades, then what’s the point of Katherine tracking those victims? Should handling those victims on a silver platter to the Collector actually manipulates the list?

So I read on. Wondering how the heck could I actually ever enjoy reading this book.

I don’t know why I aggravate myself by reading a book out of my genre but since I was the one who requested this book for review, I thought I should give it a try and keep an open mind. Fortunately, that wasn’t very hard to do because the writing style was really good.

When finally:

“I didn’t know what interfering with the Collector’s list was going to do to me.” -Katherine

Hah! After that admission, I actually sighed with relief. At least, I know that the stuff which was initially bothering me will be resolved somewhere in the book. I just have to be patient.

And I’m glad I did.

This is one of those books that won’t grab your attention in the beginning. If I’ll be perfectly honest, the first few chapters were a total yawnfest.

But when things picked up, it would freaking pull you at your collar – happened just after the first two hunts, when the MC was running away from everyone. Dang! A girl on the run! By that time, I’m finally acknowledging the fact that the author has some serious writing skills. Why! She just amped up the suspense factor!

So obviously, I thought this was turning to be a pretty, exciting read.

I was wrong.

Another bad thing happened. I don’t have anything against Australians but I got bored again – this time, because of too detailed Australian back stories. It’s one thing to engage in a chat with a cab driver, but to have him recap the whole story of something he actually witnessed back in the day -- again, TOTAL YAWNFEST.

My relief totally disappeared because of one unrealistic romance found in the book. Don’t get me wrong, I love whirlwind romances. But for me, it just didn’t work with this one. It was hurried, and I even thought the romance was done as an afterthought. Maybe find another connection between Liam and Katherine other than being hopelessly in love?

Honestly, the story could do well without the said romance. (Or maybe it’s just me hoping for some twisted sense of fate that Jonathan the Collector and Katherine would get it on. Oookay, scratch that. That would be really gross because technically, the Collector died when he was 14 y/o and would definitely come off as a betrayal against Winnie, his first love and the reason why he died in the first place.)

Oooh, but the irony.

And WTH happened to the men who abducted her almost at the end? And Liam saying, “Some things are better left unanswered m’love.” I don’t like a book making me guess especially if it’s at the end of the book. Should I assume they all died since Liam was also a Collector?

And then BAM! It was finished. I’m like, seriously that’s it?? Good thing there’s a sneak peek for Book 2. Some things just needed to be cleared up before I can move on with my reading.

Overall, for a debut novel, this was a decent read.

Hopeless

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

3 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Hopeless
AUTHOR: Colleen Hoover
GENRE: Young Adult

“I never thought I would ever be able to trust a man enough to share my heart, much less hand it over completely.”

Linden Sky Davis. Dean Holder. Wow.

It’s decided!  I will bombard Colleen Hoover with emails and have her name all of my future children! The above names are just honest-to-goodness beautiful!

She’s THAT brilliant! First, it was butterflying. Now, it was live. She has this amazing way of turning words into a perfect unconventionally used term.

I didn’t know that Colleen was a TSOT fan too until that reference at 40%! That probably explains the MC’s love for running and Holder’s constant hounding which reminded me at first of TSOT, male version.

Ooooh, I could run out of positive things to say about Hopeless, but it wouldn’t do the first part of this book justice. Especially after I found out what I found out. The very first big twist, I mean. It was far from what I’ve expected. I was caught off guard. Like, why the heck didn’t I see that one coming??

And of course, the title!!! HOPELESS. I should have known. The very reason was in plain sight all along.

I totally loved the first 2 books from Colleen, and thought that Hopeless is beautifully written too. So why didn’t I give this book 5 stars? 

I crave emotional consistency so much, that by the second twist, I realized that this book did NOT make me feel anymore. Usually with the really sensitive issue portrayed in the book, I would feel empathetic at least. But no, I was kind of resorted to a blunt affect.

The long-winded explanations almost at the end had me skimming the pages. I just didn’t care anymore. The book felt overly dramatic.

Don’t get me wrong though, I still enjoyed reading Hopeless. The second part just didn't captivate me at all.

Onyx

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

3 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Onyx
AUTHOR: Jennifer L. Armentrout
GENRE: Young Adult

Here, we pick up from where things left off at Obsidian.

Daemon and Katy are back! And they're seriously kicking DOD's asses this time! But before we head to that, let me tell you how much I hate the bets taking place on novels nowadays. They're too cheesy. Just look at this:

"Stop distracting me, Kitten. Back to my bet -- by New Year's Day, you'll have admitted that you're madly, deeply, irrevocably, and irresistibly in love with me."

Warning bells kept ringing on my mind when I came upon that. Reminded me of the reason why I never continued reading My Favorite Mistake. Bets like that seemed ridiculous, and IMO, did not make the banter between the characters any good. It just made me want to pull my hair out a couple of times.

Nothing personal on bets. Just saying.

I started getting bored with this whole alien shenanigans, even Daemon's hotness couldn't stop the yawn coming out of my mouth. I actually almost put this book on hold, when all of a sudden Katy acquired some alien powers and met another guy named Blake!

Daemon and Blake.
I smelled war.
Oooh, it's definitely on!

LOL

You see, the thing with hyped books like this one is that even when the pace seems slow, I somehow felt obliged to finish the book just to know if something good and exciting will come out of it.

Fortunately, like the first book in the series, Onyx has something original and a bit exciting in store for the patient reader. So if you're like me who likes getting some action fast with this type of books, well.. just hang on people! ;)

Divergent

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, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

3 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Divergent
AUTHOR: Veronica Roth
GENRE: Young Adult

Um, okay. So I finished Divergent. Big deal.  With all the hype surrounding this book last year, I thought I was missing a lot. Guess not.

Book 1 done and I still haven't really bought the whole 5 factions stuff. I wished that the author had allotted more time for world-building because I was really craving to connect with the characters.

I'm giving this book 3 stars. Though I finished this, reading this book actually seemed like an effort for me. I tried to really really like this, since most people really do care about this book; and I feel that there must be something in here that deserves a certain attachment for the YA dystopian fiction.

But I was disappointed.

All throughout, I feel like I'm watching a soap with my poker face on; ready to bolt from the television anytime, not caring what's next for these characters.

I read this purely for the entertainment value, and I will surely devour the next book for the same reason.

Since I would like to hunt for another series to love aside from the trilogy that took the world by storm, I'm really hoping that the next book will somehow change my mind about this genre.

The Perfect Game

He's a game she never intended to play.
And she's the game changer he never knew he needed.

The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day.


They're both damaged, filled with mistrust and guarded before they find one another (and themselves) in this emotional journey about love and forgiveness. Strap yourselves for a ride that will not only break your heart, but put it back together.


Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful... 


3 STARS out of 5
TITLE: The Perfect Game
AUTHOR: J. Sterling
GENRE: New Adult

SPOILERS AHEAD. Read at your own risk.

Let me get this off my chest first. Honestly, I don't know much about baseball other than what I see while channel hopping on TV.

As far as I know, its popularity hasn't even reached my country yet. Lack of wide media coverage for the national team is a proof. (I actually googled if we even have a national team.)

So a professional college baseball player doesn't really excite me that much. But I thought, as long as the hero has one thing he's passionate about, aside from breaking a girl's heart of course; I decided to give this book a try.

And I wasn't disappointed. At first.

I was really entertained. The writing wasn't really something to gush about, it's simply good.

Just don't get me started with Jack Carter, the said baseball player. He's a world class jerk, and at first, I really liked him. He's fucked up since chapter 1.. so I thought, oooh, no surprises! But I was wrong. He has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. What he did at the end was too cheesy, it actually pissed me off.

Oh, and it was mentioned that Cassie, the main character, was reading The Opportunist! I liked Cassie because she puts herself first and she doesn't tolerate BS.. then I liked her more because she read one of my fave books. I know, pretty shallow reasoning.

I should have stopped there.. with me liking her character. But then, after the WTF events, she accepted Jack like nothing happened, and that's where it went a bit downhill for me.

Clearly, there was a complete 180 degree turn from Cassie's character because it's like I don't know her at all. She started off strong then became almost pathetic towards the latter part of the story.

If a guy who loved me marries another girl for whatever fucked-up logic he has and also for the unborn baby he wasn't 100% sure "his", then leaves the said girl after he found out what a lying, manipulating bitch she really is.. And then goes back to me, groveling.. Well, I wouldn't forgive myself for accepting the guy easily.. much less beg for his attention.

Unfortunately, that's what Cassie did. She welcomed him. JUST LIKE THAT. It was really unrealistic and completely out of character for someone who has serious trust issues.

Anyway, I had a hard time rating this book. At first, I thought this was a "3". But then I realized that despite some inconsistencies found in the book, I really enjoyed reading this. And when I enjoy reading a book, no matter what, it remains a 4 for me. So this should be a 4. But then a part of me didn't feel that 4 is right, so I went back to 3 stars.

So there folks, 3 stars!

But please, don't go running yet. Because if you're looking for a good new adult drama, and you have high tolerance for jerks, you might really like this.

Obsidian

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right 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.

3 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Obsidian
AUTHOR: Jennifer L. Armentrout
GENRE: Young Adult
 
3 CRAZY SAUCE!!

This is the first time I've read an Armentrout book, and definitely wouldn't be my last!

Katy, Katy.. What to say about her? Hmm. I loved the fact that she maintains a blog site dedicated mainly to her recent reads. I liked how she says that she's done with being the pushover Katy, and does exactly that -- yay for the spaghetti scene!!

Sauce and noodles coming up!

Oh, hello Daemon! Sorry, former pushover Katy just threw them on top of your head. But you totally deserved that you.. you!!!

The male lead, Daemon, is as hot as any other book boyfriends I've had. Who the heck could resist those startling, intense, shocking, unnatural, vibrant, rare green eyes?? The endless description just goes on!

But I refuse to put him to my swoon-worthy heroes shelf because I have a love-hate relationship with him.

You see, he's this hot guy who's actually a light resembling a body.. in short, he's a freaking alien. And haven't I told you yet, aliens shouldn't look that hot on book covers. The general public might have this misconception of how aliens really look like. Someone might encounter a little green man with big eyes and spindly arms on the street, and that someone may never know what just passed by him.

So I say, let's boycott the cover because the guy's too hot for words.  Okay, now I'm babbling. Moving on.

This is the main reason why I couldn't connect fully with Daemon's.character:

Daemon was a douchebag to the highest order.

And that was Katy talking btw. Daemon's hot and cold toward our heroine. At first few encounters, that should be the case and I understand why. He needs to protect his sister and his race from the Arum, I get that. But I'm past halfway with the book and three traces later for Katy -- Daemon's still acting the same. That's one sexual tension definitely NOT done right. I was frustrated and really annoyed with his character. I mean, just please man up dude!

Carissa and Lesa, Katy's latest friends from her new school, were also kind of annoying. It felt like the author just added their characters so that there'll be side characters when Dee's not around for Katy.

Annoying characters aside, I actually found myself enjoying reading this.

UNTIL that one stupid decision made by Katy almost at the end of the book which led her running straight to Baruck's arms literally, where she almost died and tantananan! Daemon to the rescue!!. I mean, how stupid can you really get? Humans on this book simply can't fight and expect to live AGAINST a powerful alien who lurks on the shadows.

OVERALL, I liked the plot. The execution, not so much. Felt a bit like Twilightish to me, minus all the glittering vampires of course. I kept bracing myself for some really great alien action, and all I got was a mediocre fight against four Arums! That definitely lowers the rating.

But like what I've said earlier, this won't be my last Armentrout book. I'm planning to devour the sequel soon!