The Last Reader

I have read the first two books two years ago and I enjoyed and even loved it. Being left with a cliffhanger (and a lot of questions) and to wait for the next book were not easy and I’m proud to say that I survived.

A great friend named Joyce gave me a copy of The Retribution of Mara Dyer as an early bday gift but I didn’t read it immediately. I planned to re-read the The Evolution of Mara Dyer to refresh my memory but ended up browsing it since I put some marks on the important things. I wasn’t able to write a review for the first two books but I can still remember the thrill and the creepiness I felt while reading them.

It’s so hard to review this series without giving any spoilers so I will not make it long. It’s better to start reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and experience the same feelings I had.

“The villain is the hero of her own story.”

The characters, both main and secondary, were great. I like how crazy and creepy Mara is and I was anxious that she’d go too far especially when she reached her maximum level of anger. Noah Shaw became my book boyfriend when I got to know him in UoMD and I love him even more in this book. Jamie, Stella and Daniel were hilarious.

There were scenes that made me laugh, scenes that made me squel (Chapter 73!), scenes and plot twists that creep the hell out of me and scenes that made me fall in love. This book pretty answered all the questions and the flashbacks helped a lot. But the answers also left some new questions. I think Ms. Hodkin ended it like that for us to come up with our own answers.

I like the book references that Ms. Hodkins included in this book and one of them is from Harry Potter. I even put highlights on them. The ending, for me, was the best part. It made me say “Ahh! That is so brilliant!”.

This series is definitely one of my favorites. It’s intriguing, addicting, and mind-boggling. Thank you Ms. Michelle Hodkin for writing and sharing such a beautiful and captivating books.

I don’t think I need to write a long review about this book and how great it is so I’ll just write more about my experience with it.

It’s my first time to read this book but I’ve seen the movie many times already. When I was in highschool, I never cared about reading it and never planned to even watch the movie adaptation. My highschool bestfriend, who is into magic and wizarding, (I am more into ghost and paranormal) is a big fan of Harry Potter and I think she tried to convince me to read the book but I told her that “it’s for kids”.

A coworker back in 2011 invited me to watch the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I gave it a try. Of course I was lost the whole time because all I know was they were doing magic and kiddy stuffs, nothing serious. But then I was wrong and I told myself, “Okay?! This is not anymore for kids!”. I decided to watch (the movies from the beginning) because I was still not into reading during that time and yeah, I loved it. When I started to enjoy reading books, HP were on my to-buy list and it took me almost four years to finally have my own HP book set.

I’ve just read the first book and I love it already more than the movie. The writing style is astounding and I think even if I didn’t watch the movie, it is still easy for me to imagine how the characters and scenes look like. I love Hagrid’s character and I also want to go to Diagon Alley with him.

JK Rowling is so amazing. To think that she wrote about this magical world and created these unique characters perfectly. She is so magnificent.

If you haven’t read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, it’s still not late (and it will never be) for you to start. I recommend this book to everyone and I will surely read this book to my future kids.

Writing this review is quite hard for me because I still don’t know exactly how to express my emotions even I’ve read this book six days ago. I can write what I want but I know that it will not give much justice on how wonderful this book is. So, you only have one option : Read the book.

Violet is in grief and feels guilty for losing her sister in an accident. She is crossing out the days on her calendar until she can graduate from highschool, move out and leave all the painful memories behind. Finch fascinates death. He reads and writes about suicide. He knows the different methods and attempts to try them but some things always keep him from doing it. They met unexpectedly at the ledge of their high school’s bell tower. Later on, they became partners in a school project named “Wander Indiana”.

All the Bright Places is told from the perspectives of our two main characters. Both are interesting, unique and quirky. Both are struggling from deep pain and sadness. They felt so real to me that I want to comfort them and let them know that I care. As for their romance, it evolved wonderfully as they got to know each other. The relationship is endearing. I love how they accepted one another, especially their negative sides and imperfections.

I honestly didn’t want to finish reading this book and know what will happen in the end but I cannot help myself not to turn the next pages. The story was beautifully written and it flows naturally. And even though the ending is a little predictable, I still found it exceptionally well done. I shed big buckets of tears on the last few chapters and this book broke my heart.

I admire the author for writing about one of the most important subjects nowadays. For giving awareness about mental illness, depression and suicide. This book is very powerful and definitely a must-read not only for young readers but for everyone.

Shoutout to Ms. Jennifer Niven who favorited and retweeted my tweet and for following me back. You’re awesome!

“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book since I’ve never read any from Morgan Matson. I even thought that she is a guy because of her name. Oops. Aside from the lovely and summer feel cover, this book caught my attention because of its high ratings in Goodreads. This is also my second time doing a buddy read with Joyce (Hi be!) and definitely not our last.

It is summer and Emily is alone without her best friend, Sloane. They’ve planned an exciting summer together but Sloane and her family suddenly disappear. All that’s left for Emily is a to-do list from Sloane.

“I don’t think you have to do something so big to be brave. And it’s the little things that are harder anyway.”

I personally can relate to Emily because I am somehow like her during my teenage years (i think until now). Socially awkward, conscious in front of other people, introvert. She is hoping that the list would lead her to her bestfriend but it never felt like she was forcing herself to do them. Even some of the tasks were terrifying for her, she is still willing to do it and that’s what i admire about her.

I wasn’t sure about Sloane at first but the flashbacks made me feel like she is an awesome character and I can say that she is really a true friend to Emily. Just like with Sloane, I didn’t feel anything about Frank but I got to love him throughout the story specially when I’ve learned some of his likes and hobbies. The secondary characters added a lot to the story too. They were all unique and real.

Every chapter is interesting and I caught myself smiling alot while reading. The writing style is simple, descriptive and catchy. This book never bored me. Not to mention, the song playlists are cool.

I love the ending of this book. I got nervous how things would end when the story began to wind down but the author did a great job of wrapping things up.

This book tells us what real friendship means. It talks about taking chances and discovering yourself. It’s winter here but this book gave me summer feelings. Highly recommended!

I didn't read the full synopsis of this book when I requested it in NetGalley. The girl on the cover and title caught my attention.

I was aware that this was going to be a sad read so I prepared myself but it was not enough. I had goosebumps and I cannot remember anymore how many times I had to stop reading to wipe away my tears.

This book is told through shifting of different POVs of several children and some adults who were caught in the middle of a civil war in Syria. The author did a great job on this one because not many authors can switch different POVs regularly without confusing the readers.

I personally like the author's writing style in this book. It is descriptively written that I could feel the character's emotions. Despite the heartaches caused by the war, these kids still know how to laugh, love and play. It has quite a lot of characters but it didn't bother me at all because they were all amazing and likeable.

There were surprising twists and revelations towards the end that will left the readers more questions. This will also make you grab the second book to know the answers.

A great and very powerful book that will help us see and feel how it is to be in the middle of a war, not only as a victim but also as a fighter.

Heartbreaking, though-provoking and an eye-opener. I'm excited for the second book and will definitely recommend this to my fellow readers.

I bought this book because… Aside from the title, I’m always interested in stories during the Second World War and the book description is inviting because it is narrated by Death. This is also my first book by Markus Zusak.

The Book Thief is one of the first books I bought in 2012 (the year when I got into reading novels) that remains unread until last month. I’ve been wanting to read it but I feel like I have to wait for the right time and I’m glad that I did.

“When Death tells a story, you really have to listen.”

It took me ten days to finish reading this book because I wanted to savor and absorb every word written on the pages. Everything is perfect. I have to admit that it’s hard for me to write a review about this because I’m afraid that I’ll not be able to express how beautiful it is and this book is still haunting me (in a good way). There are already so many great reviews for this book (and even for the movie adaptation) so I’ll just summarize how I feel.

On the day of Liesel Meminger’s younger brother’s funeral in 1939, she finds a book covered by snow and Death saw her stealing it. Liesel is sent off to Himmel Street to live with her foster parents and there she met Rudy who branded her as a book thief. One night, a Jewish named Max comes to their door and ends up hiding in their basement.

Death’s way of narrating the story is entertaining and hilarious. When he feels like exhausted because of his job, which is of course we all know what, he watches the color of the sky. Every soul has different colors. I hate spoilers but I cannot bring myself to hate him everytime he tells what will happen in the future. He’s the “Grim Reaper” so we know that someone will die everytime he appears and he tells it in a way that made me more eager to find out how it happened.

The characters are all remarkable and will touch you in different ways. Not only Liesel, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, Max, and The Steiner Family but almost all of them are relatable. My favorite is Rudy. I like his loyalty and determination. The “End of the World (Part II)” chapter broke me. I had to stop reading in some parts because I cannot see the letters anymore with my eyes filled with tears.

This book tells us not only the side of the Germans but also the perspective of the Jews during the Holocaust. It shows us that not all Germans hate Jews. There were some who were willing to risk their own lives just to express their gratitude towards other people.

Zusak has his own unique writing style which is unique, powerful, haunting but enjoyable. I also want to acknowledge the two short stories in this book entitled “The Word Shaker” and “The Standover Man”. These two are exceptionally good. It shows that all of us are word shakers.

This book is definitely one of my all-time favorites even I just read it once. It’s just not about Liesel’s life experiences during one of the hardest times in history. Not even about Max’s miserable life being a Jew. This is a story about being brave and never losing hope even during the darkest days of our lives.

“I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope that I have made them right.”

“I fell in love with Spencer Pierce the day he saved me from the Pirates.”

Sara knows that she has something for Spencer since their first meeting but she’s not sure if the boy feels the same way. As they start enjoying each others company, she gets to know him deeply than other people do. Spencer is in pain and he don’t want to include other people, especially Sara, but he feels that he can trust her so he open up to her and asked her to not tell anyone. One night, a tragic event forces Sara and her family to leave their only home. Spencer thinks it’s the best for the both of them. This shatters Sara.

Five years later, Sara visits her old hometown hoping to face and put her nightmares behind and be Sarah Smile again. She also wants to right the wrong thing that was made right after the tragedy. She meet Spencer again and they both discover that nothing has changed between them.

You know that feeling when you don’t have any idea about the book and its author and you end up loving both? That’s what I feel about Play of Light. Honestly, I clicked “request” because of the amazing cover (yes, I’m guilty of judging a book by its cover). I don’t really read blurbs. It’s also my first read from Ms. Doxer and I’m so glad that I’ve made a right decision.

We get to know the characters mainly Spencer through Sara’s perspectives. Both of them are struggling with what happened years ago and going through a hard time facing and forgetting it. Watching them grow throughout the story made me feel like crying. They seem so real. All the secondary characters like Riley and the band members are incredible they made me want to be part of their circle.

The author did a great job on switching the story from past to present revealing all the important events. The writing style made it clear for me to picture every scene in my head. I felt the sorrow, heartbreak, love, and happiness. It’d also good to know Spencer’s POV in some scenes, like when they meet again after five years or when he sings Sarah Smile for her, but it’s still okay for me because Sara was able to express the things he cannot say.

“Would you ever love me enough to want to spend forever with me?”

The ending is perfect though I still want to read more about Sara and Spencer. Also, I was the whole time wondering what the title of each chapter means until I’ve read the Author’s Note. That was brilliant.

More than a second chance love story, this book will make you realize how love can affect everything around us.

*eARC provided by Xpresso Book Tours via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long-time that’s why I’ve decided to include it on my list for the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge.

Samantha Kingston has it all. The looks, friends, popularity and the perfect boyfriend. Friday night, Sam and her friends went into a house party. It should be her big night but it turns out to be her last. The next morning, she wakes up on the same day and relives her last day for a week.

“Let me ask you: is what I did really so bad? So bad I deserved to die? So bad I deserved to die like that? Is what I did really so much more worse than what anybody else does? Is it really so much worse than what you do? Think about it.”

I bought this book because of the great and intriguing synopsis. “What if you had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?”. Also, the eyes of the girl on the cover is simply mesmerizing.

Just like the usual, I didn’t have any idea of the plot but I did read the synopsis. I wasn’t really sure if I love or hate this book while reading the first 100 pages but I decided to continue and see where this book would take me.

I’ve honestly didn’t like Sam and her friends. Popular girls in highschool who are happy doing mean, really mean things to other students. They’re the ones I used to hate when I was in school and probably until now. There are still some good and funny things about Sam and her friends, like their fart jokes which made me really laugh, but their mean behavior appear more prominent. Even though I cannot relate to Sam’s character I still appreciate the things she has made to make everything right. My favorite character is Kent for being such a sweet guy and Izzy for being an adorable and sweet little sister.

The transformation of Sam changed the way I feel about her throughout the story . It’s quite slow and heartbreaking at times but i think it has to be done like that. It makes the story more realistic.

I was not quite sure with the ending because I also want to know what happened to the other characters especially with Juliet Sykes or Kent.

It’s my first time to read Ms. Oliver’s work and I cannot deny that her writing is flawless. I’ve read the first two chapters of Delirium and I added it on my never-ending TBR List. This author knows how to attract readers with her fascinating plot.

The message of this book is amazing that it made me realize how short life can be and how a certain things or behavior can impact other people around you. This book has a life-changing story and I recommend it to all of you.

I normally don’t like reading book series because of cliffhangers but this one is an exception. This is also the book I pledged to read for the National Readathon Day that happened yesterday.

The summary was very vague and it quite reminded me of The Maze Runner. Why? Charlie and Silas have been friends since they were young and now they don’t remember anything and anyone around them. (But don’t worry because there is no glade and gladers in the story or something like that.) I don’t really want to say anything about the storyline so you need to buy the book and let yourself dive into it.

It’s my first time reading Ms. Hoover’s and Ms. Fisher’s work so I don’t have any idea about their writing styles. Obviously, they have different styles but in this book, I felt like it was written by only one author. The delivering of the story and blending of their styles are impressive. Also, Colleen writes for Silas, and Tarryn for Charlie.

I love the romance, suspence, and mystery in this story. I love that the characters have different attitude but they seem so perfect together. I love the story even though I knew that it contains a major cliffhanger. Everyone talks about it and some really didn’t like it. I personally like how it ended which makes me feel weird about it.

Never Never is a uniquely captivating story that left me wanting for more. And right now, I have to wait until May 17 for the sequel.

I was so excited when I saw this on NetGalley and got even more excited when they approved my request.

This book is a compilation of different types of romance stories with the theme “love against the odds”. Some are original short stories written by Malorie Blakcman, David Levithan and James Dawson. Most are excerpts from pre-existing novels like If I Stay, Forbidden and I Am The Messenger.

Some of the readers might find this book disappointing because they have already read some of the excerpts included or they will think that this book includes spoiler, which is not. My only problem with the excerpts was I had a hard time understanding what was really going on and most of the time I got confused with the characters. It’s like you open a book in a random page and you don’t have any idea why the character is crying.

What I love with this collection is the stories are not only about girl-boy relationships. There are also characters who belong to the LGBT community, people with disability, from different social statuses and religions.

I can say that this book will still make an awesome read with the original short stories alone. But it’s not bad because this also introduces us to some of the great authors and their works. One thing is for sure, this book will make your TBR list longer.

Some of my favorites from the original short stories are Gentlewoman by Laura Dockrill which is about a boy who came out and changed himself into a girl with the help of modern medicine, The Unicorn by James Dawson is about the bittersweet story of a forbidden relationship between two Navy guys during the Korean War, and David Levithan’s Miss Lucy Had a Steamboat which is a story about a girl who falls in love with the new girl in school and how she ends up with a realization when things didn’t work for them.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Love Hurts. Ms. Blackman did a great job collecting unique, fresh, and interesting love stories for the readers to realize the real meaning of love.

*eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Juliette’s touch can kill and she accidentally murdered a small kid. She has been locked up in an asylum and hasn’t seen or touched another person for quite a long time until Adam, a guy she knew, steps inside her cell.

The main character, Juliette, has a “special power” but I feel like it’s useless in this book. I get that she’s alone most of her life, didn’t have friends and has been neglected by her parents but maybe she could’ve stopped whining about it and did something about her power to protect herself. Adam came and Juliette became dependent on him. It happened to be that they already “love” each other eversince but they didn’t know about it because they never talked. The romance between Juliette and Adam, though hot and heavy, didn’t excite me at all. I was interested to know more about Warner, Kenji, and Adam’s little brother (James).

The writing style was good and bad at the same time. Good because it’s very descriptive, it has similes and metaphors. Bad because they are too much and some of them were so weird (for me) and just didn’t make sense at all. The author used these metaphors to express Juliette’s thoughts which was a good thing because these shows how unstable Juliette is but later on these became disturbing. Here is an example:

“The sky is raining bricks right into my skull.”

The first book I’ve read with strike-through was David Levithan’s Every You, Every Me and I don’t have problems with this tool. The repeating of words can also be annoying sometimes. I showed the (whole) page where it has “I’m not insane!” to my fiance and he told me “She is totally insane”.

I thought this was more of a romance novel than a dystopian fantasy and that Juliette’s power is the same with Queen Elsa of Arendelle (Frozen) except the freezing thing. I also didn’t have an idea that this book was described as a combination of The Hunger Gamesand X-Men. I just realized that it’s similar to X-Men on the last pages of the book but I didn’t notice any from THG except when The Reestablishment (the organization or government) was mentioned.

There are things I enjoyed in this novel so I will still be reading the rest of the series. I’m holding on to Juliette’s last words and hoping to see more of her bad-ass side.

Me and Joyce were planning to do a buddy read but we cannot really decide on what book and as a good sign, B came home with The Maze Runner. It turned out that Joyce also has a copy so we’ve decided to read this book.

Thomas wakes up inside a box with no memory of his life except of his name. He finds himself in a strange place called the Glade where group of teenage boys called Gladers are living for the past two years. Surrounded by monstrous stone walls which is the Maze and vicious Grievers, the Gladers spend their time trying to solve and find a way out. Thomas’ arrival brings weird things in the Glade including the arrival of a girl.

Though this book is more focus on the plot development than the characters, I still enjoyed reading it. The secondary characters are more appealing to me and my favorite was Chuck. For me he was the most bravest and he made me cry.

“..don’t feel bad about crying. Ever.”

My least favorite was Teresa. I was expecting that because she is the only female character in this book, she will probably make something different. Maybe she did but it didn’t work for me. Hopefully I’ll get to like her on the next book. I adore the friendship among the boys and how organized they were in the Glade.

I was lost in the beginning of the book and like Thomas, I was also frustrated because nobody wants to answer his questions. It took awhile, half of the book i think, before the questions were answered and this can probably cause a negative effects on the readers. I personally felt a little impatient about it but it didn’t really make a huge effect on me. I just keep on thinking that it may have something to do with the sequel.

These unique words, Gladers slang, quite annoyed me at first but I thought that it was accurate because the Gladers really don’t have any idea how it is outside the Maze including how people communicates with each other.

We cannot deny that the author’s way of describing things are exceptional. The Grievers were scary and totally dangerous but I had a hard time visualising them. I know it may sound funny but I cannot help not to think of a champion from League of Legends named Rammus.

The Epilogue. It’s obvious that everything is still not okay because it is a trilogy but I still don’t know what to expect. The twist is perfect and unexpected. This book entertained me and I will definitely start reading The Scorch Trial right after posting this review.

The lovely Gabrielle dela Cruz commented on one of my Instagram posts informing that debut novella is free on Kindle. So, i grabbed the opportunity to download it.

It’s a story of a teenage witch named Caitlyn who has been bullied because of her hair color. She don’t have any closed friends until she met Yuri. Caitlyn’s huge crush on their class’ hearththrob Angelo, brought her to her mom’s “Book of Spell”.

I read this book last Friday for like less than two hours. It is a very easy read. For me this book is not just only for Halloween even it has something to do with witches and spells.

The target audience of this book are teenagers and I’m glad that the author included the issue about bullying. I’ve read from one of her interview that she was once a victim of bullying and she wrote this book as an inspiration to others.

It’s loosely based in my life because I too, was bullied in school. I’m a transgender woman who was studying in a Catholic school exclusive for boys, a kid bullied me but what’s worse was the teachers and Principal, were the ones who made my life a living hell. My dad even almost got to the point of suing the authorities because of how they treated me for being different. (source)

I cannot say that I don’t like the story because I enjoyed reading it and it is totally not a waste of time. The story is cute and eventhough the ending is obvious, it is still unexpected.

I can say that the author did a great job (Pinay Pride!) on her debut and I’m looking forward to read more of her future works.

"Have you ever heard of koi no yokan?" he asked. "It's Japanese," he explained as he trailed his fingers lightly down one of my arms. "It doesn't have an English equivalent. Roughly translated, it's a term for the feeling that you have when you first meet someone."

 

"Like love at first sight?" I asked, tipping my head up toward his.

 

"No, not quite like that. It's more like you know that a future love with that person is inevitable, but it diesn't exist in that moment."

First of all, I would like to thank Ms. Lily Paradis for sending me a Kindle version of this book. It means a lot because this is the very first ebook sent to me by the author herself and i love you for that. So, let's talk about Ms. Paradis' debut novel entitled Ignite.

Lauren Lindsay just turned twenty-one and is living her own life after the death of her father and the abandonement of her mother. She only has her twin brother but he's also living away from her. While getting her new I.D. at DMV, she spotted a Henry Cavill-like guy named Dean Powell. After meeting her Uncle Jed in a hospital, she learned about the death of her step-mother and the big responsibilities waiting for her. She was chosen to take the legal guardianship of her three step siblings. She has to decide if she will accept it or not.

So let's talk about Lauren. I love how relatable her character is because I'll also react the same like she did if that thing happened to me. She's so brave for trying to perform the responsibilities of being the guardian of the kids eventhough she barely know them. She even thinks about their future first and set aside her own issues and I admire her for that. I like her clumsiness and not to mention, I like girls with red hair.

Dean, a guy who is "still looked good even with every inch of his exposed skin covered in mud" according to Lauren, is sweet, funny and mysterious. He is actually my type of guy and I can't help not to think that he has some similarities to my fiance including Dean's womanizer past and how he is changing himself into a better man. Aside from his relationship with Lauren, I also adore his closeness to Lauren's friends and step siblings especially with the cute 4-year old Emma. I also enjoyed the supporting characters and their role. They've made the whole story more interesting.

One of the things that Lauren and Dean have in common is they've been through a lot of pain brought by their own personal experiences and they are both eager to change. These made them both perfect for each other.

I have to admit that I was quite lost in the beginning because I felt like a lot of things were happening and there were no character backgrounds. I have questions like "How about Lauren's class if she will take care the three kids? Wait, does she go to school?". But everything made sense throughout the story. I just wish there's a clear explanation why Lauren's step-mom chose her as the guardian. There are also some typo-errors but it's minimal so it didn't bother me at all.

I was over-thinking about the mysterious parts and a bit nervous with the revelation. I cannot deny that I love how it turned out. Kudos to Ms. Paradis for writing a very impressive debut novel. I'm excited to read Dean's POV and to know more about him on Arclight.

All in all, this book is a perfect balance of New Adult and Young Adult. I would recommend this for those who love a good romance book.

Check out lilyparadis.com for more of her works.

“You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.”

I’ve posted some photos of this book on my Instagram account and I gotb comments like “you’re are going to cry so much” or simply bunch of crying emoticons. So i told myself to prepare. It took me a week to finish this book not because it’s boring but because it’s so distressing I cannot continue reading it.

Lochan (17) and Maya (16) are siblings. They are caring for their younger siblings and play the role of being the parents in the family. Their father abandoned them and their alcoholic mother is always nowhere to be found. Lochan and Maya depend on each other most of the time until one day, they fall in love with one another.

The book is told in alternative viewpoints of Lochan and Maya. The writing style is remarkable it will make you feel their emotions and struggles. I admire how strong, weak and responsible they are as the eldest in their family.

Some may think that the idea of the story is disgusting but the thing is, the author managed to let you forget that Lochan and Maya were brother and sister. This book is not only about incest. It is also about the sacrifices and pain of facing huge responsibles at a very young age. The consequences of loving someone so much you don’t even care whether it’s illegal or not.

It’s obvious that there will be no happily ever after in the end but I was still hoping that one of them is adopted so there’s a chance that they can still be together. They just seem so perfect for each other and I am not that prepared for the ending but I think the author gave us an accurate one.

Extremely emotional, painful and tragic. I know that this story will stay with me for a long time.

I’m recommending this book to all open-minded people who wants to experience a roller coaster of emotions.