Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

Wednesday, 11 January 2017

Opposition (The Lux Series, #5 by Jennifer L. Armentrout)

Synopsis 

Daemon gets her back once he goes to Mount Weather, but that's not all that happens. They hurt her, and force him to heal her. But their bond is unbreakable, right? She dies, he dies, and Daedalus wouldn't risk it would they? But that's not all the suffering Katy has to go through, there are the Stress Tests and the guilt of having killed Blake. But Daemon isn't the one to do all the healing when they force him to stab himself with a knife, having to watch Katy heal him. And they force Daemon to mutate others, and he's unsuccessful until they find a way out, through Archer, someone on the inside working with Luc. An Origin. Something Daedalus wanted Katy and Daemon make all along, why else would they let them share a bathroom? So they escape, find the others, get into a little war with the Daedalus and expose the Luxen to the world. All hell breaks loose and the other Luxen from other planets come. Who will Daemon stand with? His kind or Katy?




I give 



Mainly because it took me so long to finish this book. It was quite boring at first. Daemon was gone, Katy was miserable and lost and totally confused by what had happened. But not just Daemon BUT ALSO Dee and Dawson. They were all sucked into this gathering of 100% pure Luxen with no humanly personality traits. Just wild animals, really. 

So what happens? Well, when Archer and Katy go to fetch some medicine for Dawson's lovely pregnant girlfriend, they come across a warzone in a shopping center? I think. And then Katy sees Daemon and vanishes and gets hit by Dawson, knocking her unconsciously. And she wakes up in this room where the house is surrounded by weird Luxen and Daemon and Dawson pretend to be one of them. While Katy's heart slowly breaks at how Daemon treats her, she begins to believe he's let go until they finally get some time alone and he confesses that he's all there.

"Kat." He uttered my name like it was some kind of prayer, and then he pressed a kiss against the skin behind my ear. "I broke every rule of my kind to heal you and keep you with me. I ... burned down an entire city to keep you safe. I've killed for you. Did you think I'd forget what you mean to me? That anything in this world-in any world- would be stronger than my love for you?" 


While they hide, and pretend otherwise in front of the Luxen leader, there's one sidekick that reveals to be an origin, reading their minds and knowing all along that Daemon is not a part of them and that neither is Dawson by reading their minds. When they get away and reunite with their friends, thanks to Luc, they manage to get an Arum to help them get in touch with the Arum leader. They step into their own graves by gong to their pit, and the greatest yet most disturbing things happen to them. While this is all happening, Dee is not even on their side. No, she's still with the Luxen, still broken from the death of her boyfriend, and so, very, evil. Let me go back a few scenarios and quote Dee's exact words to Katy. 

"If you don't move, I will throw you down the stairs. It'll hurt. You might break your neck. It's three levels. Someone will heal you. Or maybe we'll just leave you like that, alive but unable-" 


That was cruel! Sweet, sweet Dee had turned into the most vicious snake and they couldn't even kill her! Not that I wanted to, she is, after all, Katy's best friend, almost sister, and sister-in-law considering they get married. Under a fake name, but nevertheless, it's marriage and it means the world to them, and to us readers, because they'd finallly settled down. Unfortunately for them, an Origin baby would come out of a hybrid and Luxen, but fortunately for us, the kid would be badass. I'll admit though, a separate series about the girl of Daemon and Katy would be a fun series. 

Now, back to the Arum fun, when they get to the Arum beehive, they have a talk with Lotho, the Arum leader and the fun begins. He only agrees to help them if Daemon lets him feed off of her. We can all guess his answer but things turn more interesting when Daemon agrees but insists on being in the room when it happens. While it may sound like he might be raping her, it's actually fun watching Daemon hold back from hitting him. Lotho tries his best to get him jealous  by taking off his shirt, oh the fun, and leaning closely towards Katy. When Lotho is about to get a taste of Katy, Daemon loses it and jumps right at him but Lotho reacts and pins him against the wall and laughs it off saying he just wants to mess with him. This may sound a teeny tiny bit creepy but I want a fanfiction written story about Katy's and Daemon's baby girl growing up to fall in love with Lotho, the mad yet sexy evil Arum. Now that sounds like an interesting story, some kind of twisted Romeo and Juliette among the Luxen and the Arum people.

"I know asking you to stay in the car is too much, but please stay close to me." Daemon slowed down as he crossed the parking lot, heading toward the fancy black car. "Luc might trust the douche, but I don't."
"It's not like I'm going to run up and hug him."
His expression turned bland. "I'd sure hope not. I might get jealous." 
"You'd get jealous if she hugged a tree," Archer tossed out. 
"Maybe." Daemon coasted to a stop in a parking space behind the car. "I'm needy like that." 

I know this may sound like an odd comparison but he reminds me a lot of Lucifer in the paragraph, especially the needy and douche part. 

This was my favourite possible part of this book. I marked it so many times just so I would never forget mentioning it. This is a typical perfect-boyfriend reaction towards anything. 

"Are we going to have this argument again?" Because I like it when you two get into it. It's lke watching a mom and dad have a marital disagreement. I feel like I need to go hide in a bedroom or something to make it more authentic. Maybe slam a door shut or-"

"Shut up, Luc," Archer growled, and then turned his glare at me. 

I fell in love with Archer when this book started. He's the most loyal yet most rational character in this book. He doesn't take everything too harshly and he's not the most violent. this quote proved to me that he either didn't want Daemon to whop his ass if he found Katy missing, or that he wanted to keep her safe from the outside world. He's also the one to volunteer going with her to buy Beth her pregnant vitamins. 

Daemon kissed me deeply, cutting off my words, and he took that kiss to a whole new stratosphere. "You've got that big heart, Kitten." His lips cruised over mine as h spoke. "That's what  I love about you most. Well, that and I am a really big fan of your sweet body, but your heart? Yeah, that completes the package of you, wraps it up with a nice little bow. It makes you perfect to me." 

"Sometimes..." I stared at him, blinking back wetness. "Sometimes you say the most amazing things." 
"And I do love the sight of my hands on your ass, too."
A laugh burst out of me. "Oh my God, and then you say things like that."


Tuesday, 6 September 2016

Newly arrived batch of BOOKS!

We all get overly excited when we get to unpack and surprise ourselves with our past picks. Whenever the order shows up at our doorstep, the feeling is overwhelming. 
I actually started shaking with excitement. 

Book 1

The Edge of Never 

by J.A. Redmerski


With an average of 4.28 stars on Goodreads, 
This book follows a twenty year old Camryn Bennet ( :> Vampire diaries fans will understand ) 
who is set out to go her own way. She wants more from life, more than to live a repetitive life, more than to just grow old with the same habits and hobbies. So she changes her life completely. With just her phone and few necessities, she takes the bus alone to find herself, leaving her past life behind. On her journey she meets a dark, mysterious guy named Andrew Parrish that opens Cam's mind to things she's never done before. Even though she vowed to never fall in love again, everything she never thought possible happens. It is only a matter of time before Andrew's darkest, deepest secrets come to surface with their relationship. 


I think this book will take me to places. 

Book 2

Poison Study

by Maria V. Snyder

With an average rating of 4.17 stars on goodreads. 

This is a story about a girl named Yelena, whose about to be executed for murder but is given a way out of it if she becomes a food taster and risk getting poisoned to protect the commander if Ixia. Though she is given the Butterfly Dust, to prevent her from ever leaving or running away. Without a daily antidote, Yelena would die. But she starts to develop powers she can't control and with Ixia constantly attacked, her life is always threatened and choices must be made. 


I actually can not wait to read this! It sounds like a book I will remember for life, or even better a new favourite!

Book 3 

And I Darken 

Kiersten White 

With an average rating of 3.98 stars on goodreads.

Lada and Radu Dragwlya were dragged away from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts. They are both doomed to acts as pawns in a dangerous game. They are targets and being ruthless is their key to surviving. Lada plans her vengeance to get back to her homeland, while Radu only looks for a place to call home, a safe haven. They both meet the son of the Sultan, Mehmed. But he's the son of the empire Lada has sworn to fight against, even though he's also someone she may find worthy of her love. 


I can't say I'm 100% excited about this. The synopsis is pretty weak. At least on my part, but never judge a book, not by its cover and definitely not by its synopsis. 

Book 4 

The Wrath and The Dawn

by Renee Ahdieh


This is a story inspired by the famous A thousand and one nights tale, in a land ruled by a murderous boy, a king, each dawn brings a heartache to a family. Khalid, the eighteen year old ruler is a monster. Each night a new bride is wrapped around the throat by a silky cord. When Shahrzad's close friend has fallen victim to Khalid, Shahrzad is determined to put a stop to it and end Khalid's reign by volunteering to be the next bride. Only things take a complete turn. 




Monday, 5 September 2016

Red Queen (Victoria Aveyard, #1)

In a world of fantasy, there are people split into two categories, those with silver blood blessed with extraordinary powers and those with red blood living an unfortunate lives to serve the army that keeps losing and to work endlessly. Mare Barrow is almost eighteen and the only work she found was theft, by the time she turns eighteen and she doesn't have work, she will be sent to war with the rest of her brothers. When she comes across a stranger and tries to steal from him, later finding herself work at the Silver Palace because of him. She discovers she's something more between those glass walls, she's got powers too and she's willing to use them if it means fixing the world. This may be more of a story about revenge and breaking the system, rather than a romance story. She's torn between the brother she has to marry, Maven, the shadow to his older brother, and Cal, the leader and warrior. 

Instagram Page




I give 
★★★✩
The reason for it was mainly how it was written. Or perhaps the lack of chemistry between Mare and every possible guy she could have a relationship with. Kilorn, Cal and Maven. Though, I found it difficult to root for any relationship, I think the character made it easier for me to despise Cal and love Maven or Kilorn more. Even so, with the awful/amazing plot twist, I love, love, love the devil!

I think I might've seen everything coming. It's never good when someone is too perfect, that's for sure. 

Will I recommend this to anyone? Yes. I have a feeling the second book is a lot better. 

There was so much I liked about this book so i'm just going to go ahead and make a list. WE all love lists!


Things I loved!


1. She's a strong protagonist with a huge heart. She's got the powers of Silver people but is a Red blooded person in the heart and mind. 
2. She has no idea how to be the prince's fiance. She's got no Silver manners and has no idea how to act like a royal woman. 
3. Her powers consist of creating electricity. If that's not badass, I don't know what is. Fire would've been too much of a cliche, mostly because I play dota and Lina exists. 
4. We don't know who she'll end up with. There's the shadow boy, whom we want her to be with because he didn't have it all like Cal did. Not his father's attention, nor the women's. He's good with words but terrible in action. Can't say the same for Cal, whom we all find attractive because he's the alpha. So really, who is it going to be?! And then there's Kilorn. I like him, he's stubborn and not regal. And his character development is grand compared to the beginning. 
5. She gets have a cool bodyguard. I adore Lucas, and I wish it didn't have to end that way with him.
6. Not everybody in this book really dies, so what am I to expect in the next book!? hint Shade hint
7. I expected one of the brothers to betray the king, I never thought it wouldn't be Cal.
8. There are others like her! Whaaa- I can't wait to see what powers everyone else has. 
9. There's so much p
retending and she's so bad at it, it's pretty amusing and worrying because any moment, she could be making a wrong move to expose herself. It's pretty great.
10. The cameras she always felt, were they Maven's all along?!
11. The whole idea of her preferring the brother she's not supposed to marry is just overwhelming and beautiful. 
12. The whole betrayal theme going on is pretty great too. What goes around come back around. She wants to betray Cal for them rebels, instead she gets betrayed by the person she least expected. The moment of realization was unbelievable, simply mind-blowing.


Things I disliked. 

1. Does Evangeline really believe her powers were "tricks"? 
2. She gives up too easily. But then again she never signed up for this, and who said joining those rebels was going to be easy?!
3. I couldn't love Maven until he turned evil. 
4. Am I ever going to like Cal? I know I did at first, I don't know what stopped. Oh, right, he kisses his brother's fiance. That just ... yeah.
5. The king's death is too fast. 




Tuesday, 23 August 2016

Court Of Mist and Fury (Court of Thorns and Roses, #2 by Sarah J. Maas)

Synopsis 

After Feyre turns into a High Fae, saving Tamlin from Amarantha and saving everyone else under her curse, she returns to the Spring Court with the powers of a High Fae and a human heart. She struggles to get through night terrors that followed her since the day she had to perform the deeds Amarantha has asked her to. But that is not all. She made a bargain with Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court. 
Now her heart splits between choosing to sit home with Tamlin and dress in pretty dresses and organize shallow events or choose to save the world from someone worse than Amarantha.


This book gave me all kinds of feels, I cant even begin to explain how amazing of a book nor how of an amazing author Sarah J. Maas is. I know the bookworms out there are beyond hyped about this book but this.has.been.beyond.my.expectations.

Follow my Instagram to follow my upcoming reviews!
I give



Where do I start?!

OH, yes, the writing style. I've had people complain about the amount of details stuffed into this book and I did not get what the hell they were talking about. I imagined everything so easily and smoothly. Not a second was I bored or frustrated with the amount of world development. I could see it all. I may have an extended imagination but it just seemed like there was the perfect amount of everything. Thanks to Dota 2, the creatures were easily imagined. If I did not get a creature, then I just chose to relate it to any of the heroes in the game. Basically every little thing took full shape and color in my mind and it felt like living inside the book. I almost want to go search for those Courts.


Click here to see more amazing art by this artist who created an accurate strong image of Feyre.

Character build. Hmm. If there is anyone out there comparing Rhysand to Damon from Vampire Diaries, I'll strangle a pigeon. No. Rhysand is the perfect kind of everything a girls dreams of. I may not be entirely into black-almost-long-haired men but Holy Moly, His personality has it all. The salt, lemon, honey, chilly and pepper in a nutshell. There's something about him, a dark mysterious and sweet twist to Rhysand that I can't quite put my finger on. And his continuous flirting makes it seem like the devil is playing with Feyre's mind. He really shows how a true High Lord should stand and he treats Feyre as an equal, despite his position in the hierarchy. This is more than enough to make me absolutely adore his entire character. 

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Feyre on the other hand, has developed so much in comparison to the first book. She's become more mature and aware of her feelings. She admits to herself that Tamlin was just the guy to go for at the time but she's moved on and frankly i'm extremely happy this book didn't turn into a typical love triangle where Feyre has to split herself between Tamlin and Rhysand. For a while, she with nobody and during those moments, she realized she was more than what Tamlin made of her. She's such a strong protagonist that empowers the idea of standing on her own two feet without anyone else holding her hand. Get what I mean?! She stands up to herself in front of Tamlin, in other words, she tells him to shove it when he argues that her actions have consequences. That.was.perfect. 

Artist: Unknown although
I'd love to know.
Amazing Art!
The fact that Feyre believes Rhysand's intentions seem skeptical brings perfect sense into her actions considering how she's always doubtful about him yet still brings herself to know more about him. To us, he's this mysterious dangerous high Lord and it's just- we already know he's this unholy beautiful beast. Maas has introduced him in such a manner that made us want to learn more about him. Honestly, the second he appeared in Court of Thorns and Roses, I was totally hooked on him. Maybe it was the lack of romance between Tamlin and Feyre or simply the mask which by the way did make Tamlin seem super mysterious as well but like a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-kind of mysterious. 












This is probably the best possible relatable post to Ianthe 



Amarantha

IANTHE. Oh, I had a feeling something was off about her. I thought it was jealousy at Feyre at first but then the way Feyre mentions her and how she explains how excited she is about events and how she's a know-it-all kind of person, I had a feeling something was off about her. At first I imagined she'd be like (you can disagree)  Daenerys Targaryen's sidekick, Missandei her name was.

Speaking of Devils. What do you think of this as a possible description of Amarantha?!

I didn't actually believe she was gone, even after everything that occured in the previous book. Who knew worse existed?! 
Lucian

It makes me so happy to see so much fan art on these books. They were truly amazing and I know, I KNOW the next will blow my mind just like A Court of Mist and Fury did. Sarah J. Maas is indeed full of surprises. 






May 4th 2017


Thursday, 23 June 2016

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1 by George R.R. Martin)

Synopsis

The Game of Thrones is the first book in the Song of a Ice and Fire series, a fantasy novel by George. R. R. Martin. The plot-line revolves around three stories of the nobel houses: The Westeros, the Wall and most people's favourite, the Targaryens. Eddard (Ned) Stark treats being named the hand of the King like a curse after the one before had died, or was rather murdered. This changes everything for the Stark family as they split. 

It is a matter of time before the Iron Throne is claimed by the wrong people. 


Review

I give

★☆


Game of Thrones is a novel that includes eight perspectives, (Tyrion Lannister, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Eddard (Ned) Stark, Bran Stark, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen , Catelyn Stark). I had a difficult time building some kind of emotion towards any of the characters listed above. The first book revolves around the idea of who is to keep the Throne and how the fight between the Starks and the Lannisters got bloody, but mainly who killed John Arryn, the hand of the king, because the fight against the Starks starts when Ned (Eddard) Stark questions if Arryn died of a natural cause. This is the type of book where you would expect gory details when it comes to violence, detailed sexual content and rough language, make no mistake there will be. The narrative is rich in context, though, I have had trouble understanding what was happening sometimes because of the different use of vocabulary, and it is not simple English. It is highly expected considering how the writing has to match the setting of the story, that being the middle Ages. Perhaps someone with a more profound knowledge in literature would have no trouble understanding everything. There’s always that one word though, right?!
There is no shame in picking a favorite character, so I’ll admit, I love Tyrion. He is more or less one of the most bullied characters in the book, along with Jon Snow, for being different and this is how I was emotionally attached to the both of them.  They’re both examples of good protagonists. Their choices are wise, and I can’t help but love the amount of sarcasm Tyrion has thrown in every now and then. I’ve enjoyed his chapters far more than any other character. However what makes the book so great is the fact that if you do despise or love a character, the chapters aren’t entirely long, so you have enough time to see what is happening on the other side, but not enough to bore you if you don’t feel interested. Besides, he may be fun to read because of his sarcastic thoughts, but events have made others a lot more interesting. And there’s this constant thing going on where some chapters end with a cliffhanger, which absolutely kills me and love.
As a mystery book, there’s a lot to discover, even though the core idea revolves around someone’s death. There’s so much going on and this helped me continue reading when I felt discouraged at times. The diversity between the characters is great, everyone’s different. In fact neither of them can quite relate to each other, especially those related.
What I liked so much about this book more than most other ones is that there is no cliché to it. There are no heroes or evil guys. There’s only our opinion on their actions. In the end every character and general person in real life believes their actions are for some kind of greater good. It’s us who decide who are the good guys. Of course we learn that all Eddard wants is for the truth to be out. He’s a loyal man with good intentions, and that gets him “chopped”. So this is more about survival. We see from every character’s perception what it takes for them to survive against those who wish them harm. I’ve unfortunately seen the TV show before reading and I know for a fact that this is no typical story. Or a typical fantasy for that matter. There will be deaths, ones I won’t care one tiny bit about, and others I’ll bawl my eyes for, so of course I’ll continue. 


Thursday, 14 August 2014

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, #4 by Richelle Mead)



The struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure — and re-education — looms larger than ever.


Review: 



I am beyond frustrated.

At myself. 

For not ordering the 5th book already. 

I should have. I can't wait. I can't wait so long for the next book to arrive, I didn't even order it. 

This book was amazing, the only reason why it took me so long to read it (approximately a week) was because I wanted to find every reason not to finish the book. I knew it would result in suffering if I had to wait for the next book. And here I am, suffering. 

Zoe's the real bitch, I so, so, so expected her to turn her back on her sister. If Sydney forgives her, I won't approve, I'll be mad. Mad! Angry! Frustrated at the world!

God, Eddie is such a sweetheart, I'm so happy that Jill learnt something from Adrian. That kiss should've happened earlier. 

Those Alchemists are ruining everything! GET A LIFE PEOPLE! Let Sydrian live. 

I couldn't believe Adrian has a POV, I loved being in his head, and I wonder, how did Richelle Mead successfully wrote parts of the book from a guy's point of view. How would anyone understand what goes on in guys' heads. It was a first for me. A guy's POV, and I could not have imagined it to be better. 

I absolutely love Adrian and Sydney, best couple of the vampire world. 

"It's specific gravity and perfect cleavage go a long way too."
The only part of that I understood was "perfect cleavage," but I had a feeling we weren't thinking the same thing. "So, uh, what's the summary?" 
-Dies- 

I loved that. It was so Adrian, I can't even put into words how much a thought to small in a whole book can create a character so amazing. 

"I was once part of a large regiment of guardians protecting a royal family when two Strigoi decided to attack," he said. 
"Two Strigoi against a whole group of guardians, huh? Wow. That's pretty hard core."

Adrian does it again. That tone, in the voice I imagine he has, once again makes me die.

I worte: I never doubted. Would you believe I made a breakthrough with charms too?
Her response came fast. Of course I believe it. When do you get back?
Early evening. Can you come over?
I'll try. We need to celebrate.
Should I get champagne and cake ready?
Get your bed ready.
Wear the black bra.
I didn't plan on wearing one. 
"God help me," I murmured, earning a surprised glance from Neil.

I LOVE THIS!

Call me crazy, but despite how I'm not even sure how to describe it, it's aaah... 

I couldn't help but smile to the end of the chapter  after I read that. 

ADDRIAN AGAIN!

"You actually have a subject?" I looked around to see if I'd missed somebody, but it was just the three of us. "One of the cats?" I asked.

That earned a long, loud laugh from me. 

I woke in the morning, happier than I'd been in a long time, and saw she was standing at the window in nothing but my T-shirt. It was so mind-blowingly sexy that all coherent thought stopped for a moment.

This is a major cliche, one I was happy to find in this book. This needed to happen, because unlike other romantic cliches, this one is different. Their relationship is so complex and secretive that just makes my mind explode with dizzy, happy, super high butterflies. 

The center will hold.