Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

FYI: Rowell is pronounced like a towel. R.R. said so. 
Genre: YA Romance
Pages: 328
Type: Standalone
Goodreads Rating: 4.18 Avg
Published: 12-April-2012
My Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor
... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.


Review: 
 
 Oh, my god. This book is perfection. Literally. I am so glad I decided to read it now. At the end of the year. What a great way to end 2014! 
  
  Where to start? (I could rave about this book forever. But I'm not since you want a review.) I loved the characters, both Eleanor and Park. They were just average, normal kids. Nothing extraordinary, nothing super hot. But that's what made the book super super hot. Eleanor did have a bit of a stubborn streak, the sort that got a bit frustrating at times. But not the kind like Bella. You know which Bella. It was just her nature, she was insecure, she was fat, or so she felt. She was the target of mean kids. You know? That sort of thing. Which made her seem so relatable. 

  I loved the fact that Park was Asian. I'm from Asia. And ok, not Korea, but still. Asia. So when writers write about someone Asian, I just feel so proud of who I am. And trust me, this does not happen often. Park was the kind of guy who himself was confused. Again, that's what made him relatable. Park's family was also a bunch of people I loved. I reveled in their normality. Is that a word? So good...

  And then, I loved, loved, Eleanor and Park together. They were like the sun and the moon. Which, doesn't make sense. But let's just go with it. 

  Let's talk about the writing. Just like Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell has an amazing ability to weave letters into words, and words into sentences. I'm not even gonna talk about it because, just because. It's so good... 

  I found myself completely immersed in the story. I sped through it. It made me laugh, and cry, and go all gooey because of the complete adorableness that is Eleanor and Park. They are so cute together! And I don't know why, but this little bit made me laugh and laugh. I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. Okay. So Eleanor and Park go to a park. Jeez, I didn't realize that before. The 'park' thing. There Eleanor says, "Oh look. Swans"
Park says, "I think those are geese." Lol
So Elenaor says, "Well, they're the best looking geese I've ever seen"
Doesn't that just make you laugh out loud? Lol. It does to me. 

  So all I'm going to say is that you need to read this book. Guys. Read it. 

Monday, December 29, 2014

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Genre: Adult Romance Fiction
Pages: 326
Type: Standalone
Goodreads Rating: 4.07 Avg
Published: 2007
My Rating: 3/5
Synopsis: When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.
Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives.
Filled with tender romance and terrific suspense, The Lucky One is Nicholas Sparks at his best—an unforgettable story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us to true and everlasting love.

My Review: 

 So I don't think I've ever read anything Nicholas Sparks. And, I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. Maybe it was because it is an adult book or maybe just because it wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't completely hopeless. I mean, I did enjoy parts of the book. 

  I personally found myself getting bored with a lot of parts of the book. There were like, little paragraphs devoted to the time Logan had in the army. I found those a bit interesting in the beginning, but slowly I just got really annoyed with them.

  I have to say though, that the book was very family orientative. Beth's little son, Ben and her grandmother, Nana were quite important parts of the book. I found Nana really funny since she had these weird metaphors up her sleeve. Like, He's as good as a duck on a stick. Lol. She was extremely funny. 

  But honestly, I wasn't too attached to the book. I didn't care too much about what happened to the characters and I didn't feel connected to any part of the story. It was also very unrealistic. Because, no one ever walks kilometers for a woman in a picture that they found in the sand randomly. No one does that. Especially, when they don't even have any solid leads to the person. 

  So, as you can tell, I feel like I have some pretty good points up as to why I didn't enjoy the book completely. Nevertheless, I probably just had bad luck with the book. 


Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Library Haul #1

Hey guys! So I never do hauls because I had a channel. But now, since I don't post videos anymore, I thought: why not do a blog post book haul? So that's exactly what I'm doing today! Hope you like it!

This is a library book haul. I barely ever buy books, so these are all books that I'm having for a limited period. 


There are nine books I got: (Forgive me for the blurred picture :/ )

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling(currently reading)
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (really excited for this one!) 
3. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor (2nd book in a trilogy. Very promising, the first book. Lots of hype about this one I've heard.)
4. Reality Boy by A. S. King. (LOVED her book Ask the Passengers. Wanted to read her other books!)
5. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. (Really interesting, the first book was. Been wanting to read the sequel ever since.) 
6. Fallen by Lauren Kate. (Borrowed this one mainly because of the many times I've seen it on booktubers' shelves)
7. Beastly by Alex Flinn. (Recently read it. Did a review too. Fairytale Retelling, this one.)
8. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. (Don't like that cover color too much as opposed to the off-whitish one. Lots of hype. Very excited!)
9. Little Bee by Chris Cleave. (Heard Regan from PeruseProject talk about it. Plus the synopsis is very mysterious.)

So there you have it! All the books I borrowed along with a little bit of what I think about them. Hope you're satisfied. Also, let me know if you'd like me to start a video series. 

Monday, December 22, 2014

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I went to the library! Can you believe it?! And I read a book in a day! *sing song voice* My Intro lines are getting way too lame. :/ ;)
Genre: YA Fairytale Retelling 
Pages: 304
Type: Standalone 
Goodreads Rating: 3.85 Avg
Published: 2 Oct 2007
My Rating: 4/5 
Synopsis: I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright--a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever--ruined--unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

Review: 

  This book was turned into a movie, ya guys! And Alex Pettyfer is in it! *swoon*

  So. The book was a modern fairytale Retelling of the Beauty and the Beast. I think the story took a new take by focusing on Beast instead of Beauty. Our Beast is named Kyle and he's this hot, arrogant, rich guy who treats poor and ugly people like crap. And so, this witch casts a spell on him. He'll be a beast forever unless within two years he finds true love and gets a kiss from her. 
 
  I really liked the fact that Alex focused on Kyle. I'm not going to tell who Beauty was, since it's very interesting to find out who Beauty is on your own. 

  I really liked the fact that there was some sort of hidden goal behind the story. It was about how you nobody is less. It taught Kyle a lesson that you know, ugly people exist and it is not supposed to be a problem. Nobody is perfect and just because you are pretty on the inside means you're pretty on the inside too. Like I said, I liked how it had a greater goal. 

  Now what made me deduce a star was that, the book wasn't anything different than the fairytale. The only difference I found was the time change. Otherwise, there wasn't much difference. 

  Also, the book lacked in humor. It wasn't like, entirely dark and sad and stuff. But it did not have any lightness to it. Although, I did enjoy the characters quite a bit. My favorite character would have to be Will. He was Kyle's tutor. Blind. I really enjoyed his company. Dunno why, but he had a soothing character. 

  Which, brings me to my other issue, the characters did get a bit annoying at times or the story would just drag on. Something, that no one ever enjoys. 

  Overall, I enjoyed the book, not the best out there, though. Albeit, if you're into fairytale Retelling, you might enjoy the book. Or even if you're into romance. Because, by God, this one made my heart ache. 





Thursday, December 18, 2014

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Wow. Look at that eye! (What a lame beginning...)
Genre: YA Dystopian/Romance
Pages: 338
Type: #1 in Shatter Me Trilogy
Goodreads Rating: 4.04 Avg
Published: 15 Nov 2011
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Synopsis: I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.


My Review: 

Woah. What an intense book! I honestly have like, nothing but good things to talk about this book. But, let's not be bias. I had a wonderful time reading this one. Read it in like, hours! All the rave about this book is completely right! 
  It had all these plot twists that I enjoyed extremely. You know, you never knew what was around the corner. I enjoyed the writing tremendously. It was one of the first things I noticed and what stayed with me through out the book. Writing is one of the most important things in a book. If you're writing is a hit, I think it's safe to say your book is a hit too. I really found the whole striking things out unique. I don't think I've ever read a book with strikes. It makes the reading experience more reader friendly and interesting. 
  I also loved the characters. They went through quite a lot of development over the span of the book. Who they were in the beginning, they weren't in the end. And I absolutely loved the love triangle thing! I'm a sadistic person and a lot of times, I want something to happen with the villain of the book. It makes things all the more interesting. Obviously, in the end, I want things to end well. But that does not mean it's bad to hope for some action, you feel me? I'm super confused between Adam and Warner. We'll see where the story goes. 
  We did see a bit of world development, which was good. My problem was that it was a bit too in the end of the book. The book just ended so abruptly leaving the reader hanging. Makes you crave for the next book. 

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Sheesh, guys. I'm SO sorry I didn't do a review in like, ages. Just haven't been in the mood to, with exams and things. But well, better late than never, right?
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 280
Type: Standalone
Goodreads Rating: 3.93
Published: 1-Jan-2010
My Rating: 4/5 
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. 

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

Review: 
  First off, what does that cover even mean?! As far as my memory goes, and, since I just finished this book, goes pretty well, there was zero reference to bubblegum. The girl, I get. Bbg, do not understand I.  
 
 Anyways, the book itself was quite good. It was your typical NA book without explicit scenes. Except here, we're talking about the female protagonist actually making the first move and using the guy. Plot twist right there. It was a good one, I have to say. The plot was quite interesting and the title of the book really drew me in. 

  I wanna say the writing style wasn't bad either. It wasn't unique either, though. What honestly made me take down that one star, was the way the book almost seemed to drag at times and, the characters. You see, characters, are the one of the fundamental organs of a book. You need to have good and strong characters since they are the story. It's through them that you get to know a story. It all comes down to them. You have to have strong protagonists in your story. And, I don't think that Biance, the main protagonist is the best. She has had her moments, but they weren't enough to cover her flaws. Don't get me wrong, nobody is flawless. But hers were a bit too annoying at times. She would get worked up over the smallest of things and I just didn't agree to the way she'd keep putting things off. Saying how it's not her place to say anything about it. You know. Running away from things. Uh, they were a bit annoying.

I also felt like we readers didn't get to know too much of Wesly. So that sucked. Cuz you always wanna know your boy. I do think though, that the side characters were really great! I loved them and just... Really liked how the story didn't just focus on Wesly. It integrated family and friends in too, which, to be honest, you don't see around too much. 

The whole story, seemed to get a bit boring at times though. Because in more places than one, you'll hear Bianca saying how she can't stop thinking about Wesley and then suddenly thinking how she should be disgusted by him. And I never got why she was so mean to him and hated him so much! He never did anything to her, I believe. Just because he's a player doesn't mean you go all hardcore hate on them when they did no wrong to you!

Overall, I liked the book a lot and can't wait for the movie to come out! If you like YA with a lot of swearing and sass, this book is for you!