April Releases

Three books are out this month that you'll definitely want to get your hands on!

April 7th: Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Life is almost back to normal for Harper Price. The Ephors have been silent after their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago, and best friend Bee has returned after a mysterious disappearance. Now Harper can return her focus to the important things in life: school, canoodling with David, her nemesis-turned-ward-slash-boyfie, and even competing in the Miss Pine Grove pageant.
Unfortunately, supernatural chores are never done. The Ephors have decided they’d rather train David than kill him. The catch: Harper has to come along for the ride, but she can’t stay David’s Paladin unless she undergoes an ancient trial that will either kill her . . . or connect her to David for life.

April 14th: Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yep, Liv’s dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially this one where she’s in a graveyard at night, watching four boys perform dark magic rituals. 
The really weird thing is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They’re classmates from her new school in London, the school where’s she’s starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But they seem to know things about her in real life that they couldn’t possibly know, which is mystifying. Then again, Liv could never resist a good mystery. . . .

April 28th: Broken Juliet (Starcrossed #2) by Leisa Rayven

How do you fix a love that’s been broken beyond repair?
For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?
Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him. 
Don’t miss this stunning conclusion to the unforgettable love story that captivated over two million fans online.

And, if you're willing to delve into non-fiction, J. K. Rowling's book that centres around her Harvard speech a few years back (which, by the way, is beautiful, so if you haven't seen it - it's on YouTube - then you should definitely buy this book!) is out on the 14th and is called Very Good Lives. It's tomorrow's Waiting on Wednesday, so if you want to know more about it, it's all gonna be here :)

The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3)
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Genre: YA Paranormal
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

For any of you unfortunate enough to follow me on twitter, you saw my progress through this book last night; it was riddled with expletives and lots of shouty capital letters. So I thought I'd give myself some to calm down (and sleep) before writing the review so it would be slightly more understandable than randomly interjected f-bombs everywhere.

Part of me didn't want to even start Retribution, because it's Mara's last book, and - insane and whacky as she is - I've come to be very emotionally attached to her. A much bigger part of me was so desperate to know that Noah was, in fact, still alive, that I couldn't wait the extra two days for it to be out in the UK, and bought it off US Amazon; it was my self-given present for finishing a piece of coursework.
Very much in the style of the previous books, Mara is awesomely creepy. I'm not sure what it says about me that I wasn't scandalised at most of the things she did, but I've accepted the slightly scary side of me a long time ago, and it was wonderful to see Mara learn to do the same. I wanted to cheer when she says she doesn't want to be cured; she does need to learn impulse control so she doesn't go around killing people for cutting in front of her in traffic, but her power is sort of awesome in a way that we truly appreciate in this book. There's this very specific scene I have in mind when I say this, but I don't want to spoil anything - I think it's pretty self-evident when you read the book, though, so you'll know what I mean.
I absolutely loved Jamie. He's the best friend to Mara, because he doesn't care; and because, deep down, a part of him kind of envies her ability, I think. Really deep down, so it doesn't affect his love for her, but does let him see past her ability to who she is - an assassin kitten, to quote the man himself.
There's a point, toward the end of the book, where the POV changes, and I shit you not, I was on the verge of tears. Much as I respect and admire Roth for the ending of Allegiant, it doesn't mean I wasn't instantly on the alert with that stuff. Which is stupid, because we all know Mara survives (I'm not counting this as a spoiler; we've all read the first book, we all know how it starts... It's just common sense) since she's telling the story in past tense. Still. Those were a tense couple of chapters, not gonna lie.
I also want to put it on the record that chapter 73 is forever my favourite of its' kind in YA literature, trumping even Jeri Smith-Ready's that she got a bag of cookies for two years ago. It was beautifully written, and I applaud Hodkin for it. Truly, truly, well done.

Some of you may be madly skimming this review for news of Noah. I'm not squeaking. I'm aware of the damage done on twitter, spoiler-wise, but I won't say anything here. Just go read it and find out for yourselves! ;)

All in all, I loved how the ending came full circle, ending with the beginning. It was neat and well orchestrated. Definitely worth the extra money paid in the pounds-to-dollars conversion!

Finished the book? Want some more Mara? You can find a link to the GIF Review of the book here!

Trial by Fire

Title: Trial by Fire (Worldwalker #1)
Author: Josephine Angelini
Genre: YA fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10 (UK version - it has little glittery stuff in her hair too, it's so pretty)

Quick tip: do not read this like I did, on the tail of Heir of Fire. Not only do they both have 'Fire' in the title, they also both have Rowans. I have since found that my new favourite name is Rowan, and cannot contain my Rowan feels - the fact that they're entirely different characters makes no odds to my love and devotion, and I have started up the Unofficial Rowan 'Fire' Fanclub so I can have an excuse to sit and daydream about them. But I digress.

The premise of this book was fascinating, and the book itself didn't disappoint. Lily was a very likeable character, and I loved her trying to explain to everyone what different things meant.
I cannot wait to see Rowan's reaction to stuff like cars and planes, it will be glorious.

But my favourite part (Rowan aside) was the fact that I'm still not entirely sure if Lillian is evil or not. She clearly believes that she's doing what is best, but then why pull Lily over? I hope to find out in #2, because I was so confused. And not in a bad way, mind you. Just... weird.

I loved seeing Lily grow and flourish from this sickly, weak girl in her own world, into this glorious, powerful witch in the other universe. As a rule, I tend to hate parallel universes, because they have the nasty habit of breaking up my OTPs (see: Rose and the Doctor and Lyra and Will). But, in this case, it's actually pretty cool, especially since there doesn't seem to be any averse effect whatsoever in changing universes, which gives me the hope that this particular pairing won't be separated at the end.

All in all, a good book, with fun characters, and amazing world construction :)

Heir of Fire

Title: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)
Author: Sarah J Maas
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 8/10

Warning: contains minor spoilers.

I don't have the words to explain this book, truly don't.

Celaena has always been one of my favourite characters because she's so very real. She grieves and feels pain and almost crumbles under it. But she doesn't, because she keeps on fighting, and that is something I admire a great deal.

And in this book, this was even more obvious than in the others; struggling to come to terms with Nehemia's death, she's lost and adrift, having left her friends behind (most notably Dorian, who, bless his soul, stand behind her no matter what - he better not be dead or else...). But then, enter Rowan.

You know, a friend a long time ago told me this theory she'd found somewhere that everyone had three soulmates in the world. The thing is, most people associate that word with romantic love (and believe me when I say, I would not be sad to see Rowan as king of Terrasen... just saying), but it is so much more than just that. They get each other in a way that is really something else. They have entire conversations without speaking a word, because they know each other so well. And I get it, it probably will never to lead to anything else, because of his fallen mate all those years ago, but I think that so far beyond that, he is what she needed, she is what he needed - they complete each other, and their scenes together were so perfectly written and described, it really was something else to behold. I can't wait to see these two get together and unleash themselves on the world.

Though Aedion (who is not dead, btw, I refuse to believe he'd be dead... plus he was in the vision of the future she saw, so there has to be a - pretty strong - chance that he'll live, right?) will not be impressed that someone else got swear the blood oath before him haha.

*rubs hands together* when can I get the next one? :)

Need more of Celaena & co? Check out my very spoiler-filled GIF review here.

Ignite Me

Title: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Dystopia, YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

Five stars aren't quite enough to describe this book. Even Adam's bitchiness was perfect. My one issue with it is this: it's YA! Oh the potential for smut! With my two beautiful babies, too. My heart still cries over what could have been.
But in a way like this fit them perfectly too. I didn't mind so much not getting to see that softer, more intimate side of them together because Mafi wrote it in a way that it didn't need to go into explicit details to show that softer side. And it was utterly, entirely, completely beautiful. 
And now I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. I'm just sitting here in stunned silence, thinking maybe I need to go back and read chapter 55, cause chapter 62 doesn't hold a candle to it. And I want more. I want to see them grow old together, bickering the entire way just because he loves to see her when he's mad at him. I want to see his relationship with James grow. Hell, I even want to see him and Adam grow closer.
I want it so much and it hurts so damn much because I know there isn't more.
Juliette was perfect in this book. The darkness I always knew was there finally broke through, and boy did I enjoy her putting Adam in his place. Jealousy because your ex is moving on is fine, but it turned into something much, much uglier, and if she'd given into her, she would have become just another victim of male oppression, always trying to be someone she's not because otherwise her boyfriend would go ballistic on her. No. And Warner, he brings out her strength. He pushes her to be only herself, to not be ashamed of who she is; and in turn, she makes him a better man. Not because she doesn't accept him the way he is and wants to change him, but because her love gives him the strength to do the right thing. And watching them bring out the best in each other out was mesmerising. Though the two stubborn mules were frustrating at times, his love for her shone through every single action of his, and that's why the ending was perfect...
... and yet not nearly enough.
But for this one, I clap and I bow to you, Tahereh. Perfect ending to a beautifully crafted series.

Book Covers: Ignite Me, The Selection Stories and The One

I'm doing some hasty catching up here, and putting together all the beautiful covers we've been given of late:

"The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end."

Now if that doesn't pique your interest, here, have the blurb for The Selection Stories, out February 4th, right along with Ignite Me (above):

"The two novellas set in the world of Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series are now available in print for the first time. The Prince and The Guard both offer captivating views into the hearts and minds of the two men fighting to win America Singer's love. This collection also features exclusive bonus content, including a sneak peek at The One, the eagerly anticipated final novel in the Selection trilogy.

Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon's life. The Prince opens the week before the Selection begins and follows Maxon through the first day of the competition.

Raised as a Six, Aspen Leger never dreamed that he would find himself living in the palace as a member of the royal guard. In The Guard, readers get an inside look at Aspen's life within the palace walls--and the truth about a guard's world that America will never know."

No? Still not good enough? FINE, then. Here, have the breathtaking cover for The One, out May 6th. And yes. That does look suspiciously like a wedding dress.

Sadly, no blurb for that as of yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Thief Blurb

It's been a while coming, but the blurb for Tarryn Fisher's third and final book in The Opportunist trilogy, Thief, is finally here:

Now that we've been assure Caleb will fight for Olivia, let's get down to the good stuff: word on the street is that Thief will be released some time next week, so keep your eyes peeled for it. Ms Fisher has been dropping hints left, right and centre, telling everyone to get their re-reads done now. So, if you need to refresh your memory, now's the time to do it.

For any of you new to The Opportunist, you can read my review of the first book of the same name here.

Cover Love: The Bride Wore Size 12

It's been a while since this particular lady writer has made an appearance on this blog, but it's that time again - Heather Wells and Cooper are back in September, and wedding bells are ringing...

Here's the blurb and cover for Meg Cabot's latest Heather Wells mystery, out 24th September.

"Heather Wells is used to having her cake and eating it too, but this time her cake just might be cooked.Her wedding cake, that is.

With her upcoming nuptials to PI Cooper Cartwright only weeks away, Heather's already stressed. And when a pretty junior turns up dead, Heather's sure things can't get worse—until every student in the dorm where she works is a possible suspect, and Heather's long-lost mother shows up.

Heather has no time for a tearful mother and bride reunion. She has a wedding to pull off and a murder to solve. Instead of wedding bells, she might be hearing wedding bullets, but she's determined to bring the bad guys to justice if it's the last thing she does . . . and this time, it just might be."

The Great Gatsby

Title: The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Rating: 4/5

Cover: (way too many. I do like the Penguin Classics edition one, though. Hate the original blue one)

With all the hype surrounding Gatsby because of the movie (and, let's face it, DiCaprio), reading Gatsby took me completely by surprise. 

I'm not sure what it was, exactly, that I was expecting, but whatever it was... it definitely wasn't what I got

Fitzgerald creates believable, flawed characters that, despite our misgivings, we can't help but fall in love with. In a clear light, Gatsby is an obsessed, dangerous man who uses his illegally earned money to throw huge parties. But the view presented to us of Gatsby by Nick is that of a lovesick man, who wants nothing more than to be loved by the woman of his dreams. And we can all relate, on different levels, with that kind of unrequited love.

Even more interesting are the other characters, as well as Fitzgerald's narrator choice. When you read the title, you instantly think that the book will be narrated by Gatsby, or at least have him introduced immediately. But the book does neither, and that is the first hint that nothing about this book is what it seems. 

Fitzgerald played smartly with the conventions of a society used to debauchery, and showed us, without ever actually saying he was doing so, the dark side of love. Reading Gatsby, it's easy to understand why Fitzgerald described the 20s as the 'biggest orgy in the world'. 

Gatsby is delicious, enticing, sad and frustrating. A definite must-read.

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Confessions of a Book Worm #3

Yesterday, I heard someone on a podcast (I'm not going to name names here, 'cause I don't think that's cool) talk about how they thought Hunger Games was a 'soft' dystopia, for those who didn't have the guts to read the 'real stuff', i.e. Battle Royale, etc. They went on to say how ridiculous it was that 40-year-olds were taking Hunger Games seriously.

Listening to that, I wanted to punch something. It reminded me of why I don't usually listen to podcasts, because stuff like this gets spewed out without real thought of what is being said. First of all, Hunger Games is dystopia, yes. Whether you think children being forced to kill each other brutally due to the government's power is 'soft' or not is, I suppose, up to you, so I'm going to hold judgment on that one. However, saying that it's ridiculous that people (even adults) take the story seriously is a whole new level of ridiculous in and of itself.
The world we live in is in chaos right now. Sure, the news channels are trying to downplay it to stop worldwide fear from coming through, but we have protests in Brazil, Greece, Texas, UK, Russia, Australia... We have people fighting for better education and welfare, and living in fear that their protests will result in a military dictatorship. We have women fighting for the right to own their bodies. It's a continuation of the fight for feminism, yes, but just as serious as the fight for the vote, or for equal rights, because guess what - we're still not equal. No one tells a rapist he needs to become an eunuch because he raped a girl and got her pregnant. And yet men want to tell women what to do with the result of the rape. We have have communities fighting for the right to love who they want to, without being called sinners, or being imprisoned for it.
This is a turning point in so many ways. And Hunger Games tells us all about a turning point that went south. We don't see too much of anti-feminism or anti-LGBT in Hunger Games, but the message about conforming to those in power comes through loud and clear. We see mothers being told what to with their children, wit no options. We see couples being broken up because of the government. We see unfair imprisonment. We see a young girl fighting with all she has for her life, her freedom, and her ability to marry who she wants, when she wants, and not be told she has to by the president.
Sound familiar?
So don't come and tell me that Hunger Games shouldn't be taken seriously. It should be taken very, very seriously. Not only because of the message the books sends about standing up for your individual rights as a human being, but also because what happens if this turning point we're at right now turns south too?
Don't even try telling me that no one would ever think of killing kids as coercion. It's been done before, thousands of times, throughout history, so what's to stop it from happening again? Because if this shit goes bad, it's going to be a free-for-all. Then, my friends, 'may the odds be ever in your favour'.

The Moon and More

Title: The Moon and More
Author: Sarah Dessen
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 8/10

I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into The Moon and More. Quite a few friends of mine have been Sarah Dessen (hi, Kim and Amy) fans for quite some time now, but I just never got around to reading any of her books.
I had quite the cheer team behind me while reading this book though, I can say that much. And since I love my friends and trust their taste in all things, including literature, I knew the book wouldn't be horrible.
But there's something about chick-flicks. Once you've read the first, it's quite safe to say you have more likely than not, read them all. The formula hardly ever changes, so it can be quite hard to be fully interested and invested in the story when you know how the story is going to end.
But I was happily surprised with The Moon and More. Throughout the book, I wasn't quite sure where it was going, and with who Emaline was going to end up with - and since that's usually the focus of chick-lit, this was a nice change. Usually, I can spot the HEA coming from miles away. Not this time. Which made reading actually interesting because I wanted to know, and not only out of morbid curiosity about how it would happen.
Also nice was the MC, Emaline, who is a spunky, takes-no-crap-from-anyone kind of girl which reminded me quite a lot of myself (except I don't have one boyfriend, never mind two guys running after me. Also, I don't live in a cute seaside town).
It was a wonderfully light and easy read for the half-term, and kept me highly entertained with Emaline's humour and snarky remarks to Ivy. Definitely worth a read.

The Indigo Spell

Title: The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5/5
Cover: 6/10


It gets old when I keep on yammering about how I'm surprised with Adrian in the Bloodlines books. But, well, I am. The Ivashkov we get to meet in these books is miles away from the womanising, drunk bum that we met in Vampire Academy; a bum who had no qualms on hitting on a taken girl. No, this Ivashkov is pretty much perfect. He's sincere, romantic, sweet, thoughtful and just all around a great guy. But you know, the best traits of the old Adrian are also still there: his sass and sarcasm.
I do like Sydney. I do. Really. But... she's not Rose. Again, I feel like I'm hitting on the same spots in any and every review of this spin-off. However, I do want to say that Angeline surprised me. I never expected that from her. Then again, I didn't expect it from Trey either. But I just feel very sad, because Eddie and Angeline were like Romitri 2.0, so I had pretty big expectations for them. Still, I guess it sort of makes sense, though it bothers me that Eddie just bounced right back from Angeline to Jill. Eager much?
As for Romitri themselves (come on, it's a VA-world book, we gotta talk about them!), my only happiness is that Richelle has promised that Rose will be showing up much more in the next 3 books, because their scene here was waaay to short. I was all hyped up for the wedding, ready for loads of Romitri goodness, and have to make-do with that? Very sad indeed. Also, why no Christian? He's the one Ozera I like, and I miss his snark.
As for the whole witch thing... I like it. I still don't trust Trey's reasons for dating Angeline, but I get it that Richelle wanted to steer the plot a little further from vampires because of Sydney being human. The big bad witch didn't really scare me, though, despite her killing all those girls. Not sure why, but the Strigoi put the fear of god in me. Witches? Not so much (except maybe Voldemort. But that's beside the point). I did like Syd's choice at the end, though. I love seeing her break free and start making her own decisions. The ending, though? Honestly, book #1 had a more riveting ending (I'm a Dimitri girl, as I'm sure you all know by now) than that, which is bad, cause I was mentally prepared for a classic Richelle Mead book 3 ending. Now I'm told it's going to happen in book 4. So, here I go preparing myself again...

Hopeless

Title: Hopeless
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 7/10

I just finished it, so forgive me if this comes out more rambling and sobbing than reviewing decently.

Hopeless... wow. Colleen Hoover has once again blown me away completely. I didn't even know what my heart was doing half the time I was reading this book, it was just such a huge roller-coaster of emotions.

Holder, what can I say about Dean Holder that doesn't sound cheesy and infatuated? Because, to be honest, that's exactly how I feel about him. Though, I remember when I first started reading the book, I just thought he'd be the bad boy she fell for - and we all know I have a weakness for bad boys, so it's a moot point, I guess - but OH MY GOD he was so much more than that. Holder is everything that makes girls read romance books and sigh, silently wishing boys in real life were like that. He's not perfect, not by any stretch of imagination, but he loves Sky so much, so purely and so entirely, that pretty soon you stop seeing him as a bad boy we all love to kind of fear, and he becomes The Guy. You know. The one you'd marry if he ever crossed your path. The one you'd jump on and would never, ever let go. He's broken, but he still loves her passionately, and that made me love him more than his bad boy side ever could have.
As for Sky herself... well. I cried so much when I realised, about 100 pages before she did what had happened, that I had to put the book down, or run the risk of showing up with red, puffy eyes in all of the New Years pictures. There's something so horrible, so absolutely inhuman about what happened to her, and yet she somehow still found the strength to keep going. That made me love her. It's rare that in a book I love both sides of the couple; usually I fall madly in love with the guy, and accept the girl as either worthy of his love, or as a lucky bitch who doesn't deserve him, but end up having to deal with it because they're fictional. With Sky, though, I fell utterly in love with her, just as much as I fell for Holder (though in a different way, thanks). Both of them are so broken, so alone and so lost in the world, and yet, they refuse to give up. I honestly don't know. Lesslie might have taken the selfish way out, but it's also the easiest one; and the fact that doing that never even occurred to Sky just made me love her even more. When I grow up, I want to be just like her.

Only down point in the book, is that I wish we'd gotten to see more of Six; she sounds like a right character, and I would have loved to know her more.

Finale

Title: Finale (Hush, Hush #4)
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 8/10 - Hush, Hush and Crescendo will always be my favourite covers of this series.


HOLY SHENANIGANS.
I almost threw the book across the room at a point near the end there, because holy bejeesus, my EMOTIONS!
As I understand, my head will roll if I let any spoilers slip, so this is a strictly spoiler-free review. Be prepared for emotional outbursts, however.

First of all, Nora. I can't express how much I admire her in this book. Sure, there was a moment about halfway through when I felt like strangling some sense into her, and I had to put the book down for an hour to calm down, but those were extenuating circumstances. On the whole, I really felt like she matured so, so much. Reading through her point of view was a pleasure, because (aside from those... circumstances I mentioned above), she has no sense of her own power and importance; she's the leader of the Nephilim, sure, and that gives her a hell of a lot of power, but she wants nothing to do with it. I loved seeing the hero (heroin, in this case) completely and most vehemently turn their back on their powerful task of saving the world that only they can do. It was so refreshing. I also felt that her relationship with Patch, which, let's face it, has always sizzled and sparked with sexual tension, and made me fan myself repeatedly, grew and expanded to so much more - without ever losing that inherent hotness that makes these books so addictive.
Patch... *dreamy sigh* what can I say about Patch that won't take me into an endless ramble about how amazing, hot and just all-around fan-freaking-tastic he is? Sure, I did say he was being an asshole. And he totally was. He was also being an asshole for all the right reasons - which doesn't excuse the asshole-ness, but it sure helps soften the blow. But I think the main thing about Patch is just how obvious his love for Nora is, and that makes me love him more than anything else. And while his protective streak might be a bit overwhelming, and controlling at times, he does know when to back down, and he trusts Nora enough to know that she can take care of herself, even though it's painfully clear he'd much rather she never had to even try fighting herself.
Vee... holy crap. That pretty much sums it all up. Just... holy crap. That came out of NOWHERE, and just hit me in the head and completely blindsided me. I knew Nora would eventually fess up to Vee, but I never, not in a million years, expected that sort of answer. I'm not sure what the deal was with that, exactly, though I get that it played a quite important part in the end (not the Epilogue, the end before that :P), though frankly, most of that could have been accomplished even without that little bomb dropped, so I'm really not sure. But hey, whatever. I also love her friendship with Nora. It's great that Nora has not only a real, steady (well... kind of) relationship, but also a true best friend.

A little quote from the book for my Patch ladies:
"'You dress to impress,' I said approvingly.
'No, Angel.' He leaned in, his teeth softly grazing my ear. 'I undress to impress.'"

You're most very welcome ;)

The Opportunist

Title: The Opportunist (Love me with Lies #1)
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

First of all, fair warning: this book is not for the faint of heart. I mean it. I really do. My. Freaking. Heart.
No, seriously, though. The term 'heartbreak' doesn't even START to cover it. Why do I keep reading books like this? I mean, they're fabulous reads, but OMG books should have happy endings, not sob-your-heart-out-and-eat-a-pint-of-ice-cream endings. Ugh.

Olivia, Caleb and Leah are just so... so... so fucked up, I can't even explain it properly. First off, we have Olivia. She has been in love with Caleb since college. But to get him, she did quite a few not-so-cool stuff, like telling his then girlfriend who was pregnant that she knew for a fact that Caleb didn't want kids (he did - very much), and convincing her to get an abortion. From then, the lies just started piling up, until they became a very Tower of Pisa-like pile. Except, unlike that tower, this pile wasn't made of stone, and it eventually fell...

... but it only fell because Olivia found Caleb doing the dirty with a co-worker when he should have been going out to dinner with her. So then that's Caleb's not-so-cool deed. And then, a few years after the two broke up, Caleb has a car accident, and loses his memory for a brief period of time. But instead of telling people when his memories come back (while he was still in the hospital), he pretends to have amnesia and gets close to Olivia again...

... And Olivia is trying really hard to do the right thing and step back; she knows that Caleb is still with Leah, but she feels bad that he can't remember anything, and having been with him for so long, she can fill in many of the blanks for him, so she agrees to meet with him and they get to talking, which then gets her old feelings towards Caleb to resurface...

Enter Leah. Mean, red-haired bitch, she is the one who snapped Caleb up after Olivia broke up with him. And she is absolutely livid that her amnesia-ed boyfriend is going around to see his ex, because if he can't remember everything she lied to him about, then there's nothing stopping him from falling for her again - if he ever even un-fell for her. But to avoid them getting back together, Leah has a plan. And she has no intention of letting it fail. Because if it does, she will lose all the money and prestige that being with Caleb give her - something she is determined to never let happen.

The thing about this book is that there is no 'good guy' or 'bad guy'; frankly, they are ALL bad guys, and deserve to burn in hell for messing with my emotions so much. And yet we can't help being on Olivia's side, because despite all the horrible things she has done, she truly loves Caleb, while Leah mostly wants his money.

Cover Reveal: Gameboard of the Gods

It's that time again! Richelle Mead, our favourite redhead in literature is gearing up to release her new adult series, and today we got the blurb and cover for Gameboard of the Gods, the first book in the Age of X series:

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised i

n an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

 Look for Gameboard of the Gods in bookstores June 2013.

The Fault in Our Stars

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5/5
Cover: 8/10


I feel like I have a certain amount of pressure to give this a 5, but in the end, it's a 4.5; sorry John Green fanatics.

See, thing is, when I started reading this book, I was mentally prepared to shed a hell of a lot of tears. I mean, these days, you mention cancer health centres and I tear up, if I'm having an emotional day. It's just a touchy subject all around. And yeah, not going to lie, it was heart-wrenching. I never, not in a million years, expected it to end like it did, but hey that's the nature of this damned disease, so I can't say I was too surprised - guess two family members who died from it kind of make me in the know as to how it just sneaks up on you with no warning. Once you've had it, it hovers over you forever, and it might decide to come back whenever it pleases, no advance warning so you can prepare to receive it. It just comes, and you best be ready for it, or else...
So, no, that's not what bothered me.
What bothered me was - and please let's all take a moment to realise that, despite being a highly emotional book that deals with something that cannot seem to get out of the news/public eye, it's still a book, and therefore there are certain things I expect to find in a book, and that is why I found this lacking - is the way the love story was developed. I get that this is a relatively short book, probably because that sense of impending doom, but I felt like the romance, which is, I don't care what you have to say otherwise, the main driving force of this novel, could have had more details. Love at first sight is all very nice and good, but I just wasn't feeling it, to be honest. Also, the whole she-looks-like-my-ex thing kind of freaked me out, as it never really shows any particular difference in Augustus' behaviour towards Hazel, so you never really know when he actually fell for her.

Now, I want to touch on something that has been bothering me for a while, and which is part, I think, of why this book is so popular. I'm not denying that Mr. Green is a wonderful writer; he most definitely is. But these past few years have seen a burst of attention towards cancer, and I think that this attention and focus helped a lot in the popularisation of this novel. Once again, though: it is not a bad book; I just found it to not be all that people had ranted and raved that it was.

Reflected in You

Title: Reflected in You
Author: Sylvia Day
Genre: Adult
Rating: 4.5/5
Cover: 3/10

That ending COMPLETELY blindsided me. Well, not the ending per se, but more like what led up to the ending. I just didn't think Gideon had it in him. And he annoyed the living daylights out of me in this book. There were times I just had to put the book down before I committed fictional murder through kindle death. And I love my kindle way too much to do that to the poor thing.
I felt that reading Gideon was like diving into a less serious happening of the Jackson Marriage Case in 1891 (don't ask; it's a long story, but damn that thing scarred me), in which, in a nutshell, the asshole husband, who left his wife with her sister exactly one day after the wedding and sailed off to New Zealand, got so mad when he came back and she told him to shove it, that he kidnapped her and kept her against her will in his house.
There is one scene in particular in Reflected in You that reminded me of this, and while no actual kidnapping is involved (though it does involve a car, and leads to a weekend with no communication... I'm sure you all know what I'm referring to), it still deeply bothered me how the matter was resolved and then later on just swept over, like it was perfectly fine. If my boyfriend ever did that to me, he'd be limping home -- a-freaking-lone.
Reading this book was like watching all of the feminist work crash and burn - double standards depending on sex, threats, and way too much control obsession, and yet... 4.5. I just don't even know anymore. And I suppose some people are into that sort of stuff. Truth be told, it's the rest of the book, the parts when Gideon wasn't being an overbearing control freak son of a bitch, that I just loved. The story has stuck with me, even though I've already started another book, and that, I think, is the mark of a good book. Still, I couldn't bring myself to give it a 5.

Also, what Gideon did at the end, though insanely creepy, and freaking illegal, I don't particularly care. That particular asshole deserved to be behind bars years ago; at least like this, some manner of justice was served.

To any of you interested: The Jackson Marriage Case ended after a drag through court, where Mrs. Jackson actually lost once, but when her friends appealed, she was finally allowed to leave her husband's house and live her life as she pleased.

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

Title: Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1)
Author: E. L. James
Genre: Adult
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 8/10

Yes, I decided it was about time I joined in the melee. Eveyone is talking about Fifty Shades, and while I first read it late last year, I'm only now reviewing the book here...

I... loved, loved, loved this book.
And to those of you who have already read it, that statement might raise quite a few eyebrows. Let me explain: Fifty Shades of Grey will invariably create heated discussions about propriety and whatnot, but the truth of the matter is that it wasn't the BDSM which captured me, but rather the character development.
Fifty Shades of Grey tells the story of Anastasia Steele, a recently graduated girl who, by a whim of destiny, ends up interviweing the most influential CEO of the century - all because her best friend who was supposed to do the interview, had the flu. To save her friend, Ana goes to interview Christian Grey, the 27 year old multi-millionaire owner of the Grey Enterprises Holding Inc.
First impressions are what stay, or so they say, and Ana's first impression of Christian was that of an arrogant, dominative and control-freak man. But he intrigues her when he expresses a deep desire to help the poor, and feed the whole world, single-handedly, if necessary. Not to mention his hot bod.
After an extremely awkward interview, Ana leaves Christian, happy that she will never again have to lay eyes on him. But apparently life has other plans, and Ana will have to decide if getting to know this mysterious man is really worth all the sacrifices she'll have to make so their... relationship can work.

Okay, now speaking truthfully. Yes, there were some scenes that made me uncomfortable, and I can safely say that lifestyle is not for me. However, like I said before, the character development is something to watch. Personally, I found it fascinating to see both Ana and Christian change so much about their own lives, and step completely out of their comfort zones to try something new. So yes, if you don't get squeamish with hot  - and I do mean... hot - scenes, you should read Fifty. The book has a little of a slow start, so as you read on, you can have a little bit of an idea more or less how hot things get, so you can safely decide if you want to continue or not.

Night Shift by Lilith Saintcrow

Tile: Night Shift
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Rating: 4.5/5 (The book... wow. Just wow. But I feel like the love story part of it was the norm: weird, a little rushed... eh.)
Genre: Adult, Paranormal

Most commonly known by the name Lili St. Crow for the bestselling YA series Strange Angels, Lilith Saintcrow is the name Lili uses to write her adult novels.

The first one of the Jill Kismet series, composed of five books, is called Night Shift, and boy... it blew my mind away.

Lately I've been confronted with a huge unease as to what I want to read. It's so easy to come across the same kind of thing - normal girl, hot supernatural guy, yadda yadda yadda. I couldn't stand it anymore, and so I was taking refuge in chick lit, pure and simple, because let's face it, that sutff never gets old.
But when I decided to return to the world of the supernatural, I wanted something... fresh, or as fresh as it can get nowadays. So I picked out Lili, who I knew from Strange Angels, has a taste for the gory, and that in and of itself is pretty refreshing.

Night Shift tells the story of Jillian Kismet, a Hunter who makes sure none of the nasty things that go bump in the night make too much damage to the human population of her city. But she's not a normal hunter - she made a deal with the devil to make her stronger.
The problem is, now that hellbreed she made a deal with, Perry, is getting elusive in his doings, and things are getting very, very messy.