Munira @ In Vogue with Books

So, I had mixed feelings after finishing this book. Firstly, because I like this book for some reasons. But then again, there were issues with the writing throughout the story. And I couldn't bash the author (being a good person I never do that *angel face*) for writing in such a away because I could clearly see her talents behind those mistakes.

From the beginning this book is really interesting and very intriguing. It starts off really well. Lizzie and Angie are two friends. The story opens to let us know through Angie that Lizzie had committed suicide after being bullied at school. The way the story opens with a very good plot and sub plots. Bullying is a serious issue and Chelsea Pitcher is wise to address the kind of bullying found here. Also, as a mystery novel, the story is a full-on five. The suspense and mystery element is well built and maintained throughout the story. I was wondering throughout the whole novel about Lizzie. But for me the only issues were the writing style and the characters.

The writing was never fluid. In some places I had to struggle to keep up. Often the narration became to boring to keep up with, even stagnant.In addition to that, some of the characters seemed devoid of proper or any reaction at all. Angie's best friend had cheated on her with her boyfriend, but I never felt her showing the type of anger or hurt or pain. She seems to go on a more philosophical route. None of her feelings, at least to me, never felt like real, rather forced. She doesn't exhibit a high-school girl traits dealing with this kind of a situation. I know it's hard to draw a successful character, specially if it's a high school girl or a guy, because that is an age of inconsistency itself (doesn't trying to sound like a granny or anything, just my own experience ;))

Even the character Lizzie, who is dead by the time we see her, suffers from the lack of character. The sensitive part I get, but from the description, she never appears as a high school girl either. Specially her journal entries; my ten years old cousin writes better than that. I get it, that I'm supposed to feel sorry for her, as the author may have wanted, and I did. Up until a point, I really felt sad for her...and then she started appearing as an immature sissy feeble heart (and I don't really admire girls who break down in problematic situations like that), and though I'd have loved to feel sympathy for her, I couldn't.
Moving on to the guys, in the whole novel, the only guy that was worth my attention was Jesse. The whole idea of a cross-dressing cute high school guy who may or may not be gay was quite unique and I loved it. He is the only one, to a very little yet satisfactory extent, the only person who is able to provide the right emotions at the right times, almost. But similar to other two, I just wish there was more finesse to his character.

The book, no doubt at all, has a great message to convey. Bullying and practically branding a girl with the 'S word' is not as simple to deal with as it may seem. It focuses on the point all over again that no matter if a girl is the culprit or the victim, most often then not, she'll be the only one to face the unpleasant consequences, much like Hester Prynne from Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, while the boy involved can simply move on and have a pretty normal life. For me, it would have been a five on five star novel if the narrative was a little less choppy, and Angie and Lizzie were portrayed as real life high school girls.

 

 

Parajunkee is hosting the Vampire Challenge 2014. I like vampire books so I'm signing up, which you can do here.

 

THE RULES:

1-The Shifter Challenge runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014

2- The challenge is to read 10 books that have a VAMPIRE as a main, or supporting character

3- Books can be in any format and should be at least 100 pages. Short stories do not count. You can also post about rereads.

4- Post about this challenge on your blog stating that you are participating or create a shelf via Goodreads, Booklikes etc. That post or shelf is the link that you will include in the link-up below. The link should be the post link not just your direct blog link. Please be courteous and include a link back to this post.

5- Post your reviews on the Review Post: Click here to log your reviews!

 

 

Here is a list of the possible books I hope to read for the challenge.

~ The Eternity Cure 

(will add more when I think of them)

Candice Salinas. Candy Sloane. Two totally different person. Or maybe not.

 

The story starts off with Candice, a pretty much normal girl leading a normal life, having normal academic and family issues. As she believed, her life was full of clichés. And in this cliché-full life; Candy seems to be her only escape to a moment of solace. It’s like Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (except for the fact that here she isn’t any psycho). The two are totally different personalities, each needing the other somehow. Candice is more of a person who wants to be on the ‘safe side’ of things, her studies, scholarship, PhD, her career as a writer, proving her worth to her parents…and not opening up to the guy she may or may not have serious feelings for. She lives a life within her self made safety shell.

 

Candy is quite the opposite. She is feisty, naughty, open about her feelings (at least on the pages), dominating and confident with men. She is a thousand times more expressive when it comes to having fun, maybe because she does that through her writing. Being Candy, writing as Candy is something Candice truly enjoys. But for the sake of Candice’s better future, Candy is to remain under cover. No matter how famous she is, an erotic writer is definitely not something keeping her in the good books of her Professor, something she is badly in need of to prove herself right to her family. But for how long fame can be kept hidden? Specially I this area of technological boom?

 

Things are already complicated and messy for Candice in this situation. And as if the Candy part was not enough, she has to deal with her Professor, who she thinks she secretly has the hots for:

 

“I guess I have an ulterior motive,” Professor Dylan said apologetically. “I like the way your cheeks flush when you’re drinking.” My cheeks flushed alcohol-free.

 

Plus, there is the barista James, who Candice approaches with a great effort from her side, only to realize he is academically unavailable. Her past, her present all make it difficult for her to decide her future, decide what she really wants, or who she really wants…

 

Maybe I just didn’t want to come out and admit I was willing to risk my academic achievements for a guy who made me forget to breathe.

 

For Candice, I feel pure empathy for her. No, I’m not an erotica writer…but I’ve realized that dream and ambition can often be two different things in one’s life, and you will never deliberately want to give up one for the other. Candice likes Candy’s profession, her persona, but it is ‘harmful’ for her ambition, which is to make a place for herself Candice, as a conventional and established author. You’re torn between choices and real life situations; you are often left with no choice other than giving one up. I could really connect to Candice’s character which made the plot more appealing to me.

 

It was like there was two of me. The one who knew what she should do and the one who just wanted to be able to do whatever she wanted.

 

I really liked the character of James. He seems to be the only person, apart from Amanda, who is fine with either Candice or Candy, whoever it is. He seems to be able to look right through her, through the secret she’s never shared with anyone else.

“You do understand you have a split personality, right?”  I did. Of course I did. I just couldn’t believe this guy I barely knew could see it so plainly. Maybe it was because he was the only guy who had seen and seemed to want both sides of me: the studious, serious Candice on the outside, the sultry, sex-kitten Candy on the inside”

 

Even when he comes to know about Candy, he doesn’t see a point why Candice is so freaked out about her secret being out. It is like the way Amanda says:

“No one can know. No one can ever know.” “You’re not a superhero.” She huffed.” You write erotic romance. Get a hold of yourself.”

Candice’s first attempts at trying to bring out the ‘Candy’ in her real life were really funny, specially when she was trying to hook up with James and again and again, the Candice keeps coming out:

 

“I whispered in a way I hoped was more Marilyn Monroe than creepy-ass serial killer.”  

 

I pulled my back tight against the palm tree—the worst hiding place in the world unless you’re as tall and thin as a cattail.

So for a long time, she ignored her feelings then deciding to give up on it only physically, more like ‘no strings attached’ thing (which, I have a feeling, never works :p)

 

“I don’t want things to be weird between us.” He said. “Why would they be?” I said. Of course they are. I thought…. “We’re adults, like you said,” I replied. “We can act like adults.” It was what I said, but all I could think was, Bullshit. I don’t want to act like an adult.

 

She is seen constantly fighting over her genuine feelings for the guy, more than she is willing to admit. (After she referred to Channing Tatum, I think I may have grown feelings for James as well*blush*)

 

Keith vs James was like comparing a rock and Channing Tatum.

 

Plus, he’s romantic, in a cute way. How could I not love him?

 

He leaned in, kissed me lightly on the cheek, and whispered, “At least you’ll remember that tomorrow.”

 

Their effort to act normal, maintaining a pure academic relationship is really a fun to read. Every instance they started to act as friends or as teacher-student, things got peculiar.

 

“What is all this?” I asked. “Apples,” he said, like he was saying duh. “I see they are apples,” I said. “What are you doing with so many of them?” “Acting like we’re teacher and student,” he explained. He held out the bag. “I brought you an apple.” “You brought me an orchard,” I replied.

 

I think I may have quoted excessively in this review (is that a new thing though?) But seriously, once I start quoting, I never seem to be able to stop myself from overdoing it. To give it a balance, let me mention why I gave it a 4 stars.

 

I didn’t dislike anything in particular. I just expected a little more at some places. Like a logical explanation as to why Professor Dylan seems to be so smitten(!) with James would have helped, for starters. For me, the whole Professor- Candice face off thing could have been a little longer. I felt THAT ending was a bit abrupt. I don’t like a dragging climax but it seemed really short, the problem solved even before it was started. Other than that, it’s a complete entertainer.

 

On a totally different note:

Being forced to read Ulysses was basically like boring yourself to death very slowly; being forced to read Ulysses while being forced to sit in on Professor Dylan’s office hours was like boring yourself past death and into un-death.

Another reason I’m empathetic to Candice. I had to read Ulysses on my first year as an undergrad. I know exactly what it feels like to read that thing.

 

Okay, so those of you who like to read a book with romantic naughtiness and fun, I recommend giving it a try. I, personally, feel that we all have a little ‘Candy’ somewhere hidden within us (once more, not talking about the writer part), even if we don’t realize. That way, this book will make you feel connected to the character of Candice very easily and make it all the more worth reading.

Oh my goodness! I loved the book! I loved the cover, the characters AND the storyline. I’d like to mention that that I was not sure whether I should give it a 5 star or not. If you are up to reviewing, then this might have happened to you sometimes as well. Giving 4.5 stars seem unfair, and giving whole 5 means maybe giving away a little too much. I have a feeling that the book is in between a 4.5 and a 5. But obviously I can’t give it a weird and peculiar rating like 4.75 because that would make it look more like a mathematical issue and I don’t want that (math not being one of my favorites back in school or college) So yeah, I finally decided to stick to the sweet looking 5!

 

Rayna. This name. One of my most favorite names. I pronounced her name whenever I came across it in the story. A girl with such a pretty name, who appears (or at least tries to) to be normal to her class, to her friends. But her family knows what she is, or, more appropriately, they think they know.(they are SO wrong!)

 

Rayna is assumed to be mentally a little ill, only because she can see ‘things’, that her family, or the world in general believe don’t exist.

 

Angels-real ones-don’t exist. Maybe. Or not.

 

Her special sight not only causes her familial or any minor trouble, she is forced to go through treatment in order to continue herself that they really ‘don’t exist’. After coming to the city, and hoping for a new start, she realizes she may not have been cured at all…or is there something else, something bigger, something graver, that she herself is unaware of?

 

Angels don’t exist. They never had.Dr. G had made me see that during our therapy sessions. And yet, three months, twelve days, and fifteen hours after my release, there they were. Again.

 

Her continuous denial and the way her family treats her makes her doubt herself, causes her to lack the confidence she needs in herself. She doesn’t take her sight as a power, or a blessing, rather a sign of lunacy at times.

 

I belonged, well, I wasn’t sure where I belonged- maybe the loony bin- but my place sure as hell wasn’t with the angels.

 

Surprisingly, after one point, things seem to take a 360 degree turn. When she realizes that the sight she has is not a sign of lunacy but really something unique, almost like a power, it becomes a matter of life and death to her. Everything she’s related to seems to revolve around this.

 

I was beginning to learn it didn’t matter what I did, I couldn’t escape the crazy. It was part of me. It was who I was. My life now depended on being able to see the angels.

 

Entry of Cam, and shortly after that, of Kade (I think I’m in love with the name ‘Kade’) They are not, let’s say, not ‘human’ at all (so much for not giving away any spoilers:p) To be honest, Kade appeared more appealing to me at the first look compared to Cam. I’m not always a fan of ‘white’ things you see (black seems to be pretty cool, or hot, whatever) But the more you get to know him, you must admit he’s, at least to a bit, drool-worthy :D Though Rayna develops a weakness for Cam, jealous and all:

 

Why should I care what way Cassie looked at him? I didn’t even like him. Really, I didn’t…Right. It wasn’t Cassie’s Cassie’s fault. It was Cam’s. Because of that crooked thing he does with his lip when he’s concentrating too hard,

 

Great, now I was staring.

 

My vote goes for Kade a-l-l the way. Plus I like the cute fighting chemistry between Kade and Ray:

 

Footsteps clacked down the hall…Those cool, black feathers contoured to my skin. I stiffened…I splayed my hand…”So soft”, I pressed my cheek against them, rubbing it up and down.

He watched me and shook his head. “You’re so gone.”

 

“Don’t complain. Statistically, it’s the safest way to travel.”

 

Throughout the whole story, I was really feeling bad for Rayna. Poor girl…she doesn’t deserve the kind of treatment she gets from her family. I believe that one’s home or family is the only thing that can be a place of solace when things get messy. Instead, here her family itself seems to doubt about the state of her mind, her mental condition. She’s so terrified of the fact that she does not feel like sharing her unusual experience at the school and diner with her family. First she tries not to acknowledge the whole thing, just so that she can avoid being called crazy all over again, and then she just pretends to be normal in a way her family wants her to be. I think it’s really, really painful when you have to put up with ALL that all by yourself : ( I mean, she’s just a little girl! *imaginary hug*

 

Then there’s Az, but somehow I didn’t feel pissed at him that much, something I usually do for all the baddies. With Cam and Kade around, he seemed a little less ‘harmful’ :p I mean you have to be bad, really bad to be a successful villain right? (So that it’s easier for me to feel like strangling you) I guess he’ll grow a total kick-ass baddie in the next book (if it’s a continuation), but for the time being, let me enjoy him being in hell (literally!)

 

Okay, so the situation Rayna is given to face immediately after the last fight (or flight?) sequence, is very, very surprising. I myself haven’t expected it at all. I’m really looking forward to knowing what happens next and how she deals with this new ‘baggage’. Also, I’m really hoping Kade isn’t pretending to be something he’s not because that’ll break my heart into millions of pieces (I don’t care what happens to Rayna, she is confused and selfish :p) Oh and I love Rayna’s bond with Lee. He seems like a wonderful fellow. I’m strongly hoping he remains a wonderful fellow and doesn’t turn out to be a cupid-struck poor guy.

 

Overall it’s a wonderful, wonderful book. After finishing a book, I usually give it some time so that my excitement doesn’t affect my reviews. I did the same for this book. But trust me; the moment I took to reviewing, my excitement was as same as before. Starting from its cover (my never-ending cover greed) to the whole story till the end, it’s a complete treat! If you want to read something other than vampire-werewolf fantasy (no offense, I really love them), this is really, really, really going to be very refreshing.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE
Let me talk about things one by one. First, the cover of the book. I never realized pink, as a color, could look so mysterious and full of suspense. And the girl on the cover (who doesn't fit my visualization of Vee at all lol) also appears paranormal-ish, just like the storyline.

Throughout the whole story, I liked Vee, a lot. I don't know much about her character as I haven't read book 1, but still the author is very much successful in portraying Vee in this book, so that readers like me don't feel lost. Her problems, her frustration or anguish were so well sketched that at times I felt like a tiny part of me belonging to her and feeling what she feels.

I really, really, reeeally loved Rollins (except his pierced lip of course, I don't go too well with those stuff) through every thick and thin of the story. The character reminds me of my best friend to a great extent.
The plot development is wonderful, along with the characters. The ending is both surprising and a tiny bit disappointing for me. At one hand it's interesting and because the way it ended caught me by surprise, but on the other hand, I was definitely not ready for such kind of an ending. Maybe the ending is what forced me to give the review a 4 star. But this is basically a very very good read. I would suggest it to anyone who loves paranormal books. Even if you haven't read the first book of the series, I think you can still give it a go.

This is a concise review. Read the full review HERE.
I must say I was a little bit worried before starting to read Scarlet. This is because I loved Cinder. I loved it so much that I felt like dying (okay that was an overstatement!) after I had finished that. I have seen many a times the first book of a series being awesomely wonderful and the later one turning out as a HUGE disappointment. I really didn't want that to happen in this case. Thanks to[a:Marissa Meyer|4684322|Marissa Meyer|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1357318852p2/4684322.jpg] for not breaking my heart :D
Scarlet is a wonderful character. Seriously, just so..humane and wonderful! I'm not good at visualizing characters from a book, unless it's out of the world awesome. Here, I could clearly see a girl in front of my eyes, who is even more beautiful than the original fairytale Scarlet. Throughout the whole story, the author portrayed her in a wonderful way- kind and nice, open minded, brave and yet not devoid of femininity, determined to find the only person she can call family and continuously battling with her emotions and suspicions after she meets Wolf. I was kind of missing Cinder at the very beginning but the more I came to know Scarlet the more I fell in love with her (but forgive me because she'll always be the second:D)
And now Wolf, okay I shouldn't be saying this as I thought I am very much in love with Kai from Cinder, but if there's a contest b/n Wolf and Kai my vote would probably go for the first one. His very description made me blush! That's one of the beauties of Marissa Meyer's writings. She didn't use one steamy word to describe Wolf and yet I blushed (I know I suck at these things :p) And I could visualize him all the more. A guy, struggling, terrified to lose someone he was not supposed to have, fighting constantly with the one inside him, the one he probably never wanted to be- it's just SO WONDERFUL :' )
The story is super awesome (even awesome is an understatement!) I liked it more because there were more action, romance, suspense and a lot of tension (the last one's for me). It is a wonderful plot. The characters are what makes the story a Lunar masterpiece. It's not just a pretty cover, but a fascinating story to read.

Review will be up once I have managed time to breathe:P:D

UPDATED:

Also cross posted at my blog HERE

I am posting after long but it’s been a CRAZY week! I finished this book more than a week ago but couldn’t manage any time before now to post a review. I’m just so happy to be able to post now :D

I first found out about this book on some of my online blogging friends and they all seemed to pretty much like it. However the cover left me under the impression that this book is not my type. Well, I’m not saying I didn’t like it, but according to me the cover doesn’t go perfectly with the story. Plus the title of the book made me think it’s nothing more than a typical hot romance novel. It was not until one of my friends started swooning over the two protagonists of the book that I decided to give it a try (I started feeling left out that’s why :p)

So very obviously I started the book with a scrutinizing mind (so that I can prove my friend wrong :D) but instead, I ended up falling in love with the book (minus the title!) And now… I am sorry for myself as to why I didn’t post a review earlier cause now I feel like I may have already forgotten some awesome things in the novel to mention : arrgh..whatever!

As always, let me talk about the characters first. Apart from Rachael’s slight commitment issues at times, I love her. I don’t know if others find her way to arrogant or something, but I love her. Let me guess…maybe that’s mostly because she resembles me to some extent, specially her ‘I-don’t-want-a-babysitter-boyfriend’ mentality. That’s something I rarely find in romance novels and I really loved how she reasoned her stances (well most of them) with strong logic (like the engagement ring thing :D). I literally crammed all of it so that I can use it the next time I am barged with criticisms (I remember doing the happy dance at first lol)

And then, Ryan…ooooh Ryan *hyperventilates, faints, then tries to behave* ..his very description made me go weak in the knees, I can only imagine how hard it might have been for Rachael. I actually didn’t find him very appealing at the beginning, one reason for this is the way he was first introduced (seemed to be a pure leech!) and second is that I am not at all a sports person, my reaction to sports is almost as same as Rachael’s. I watch football only, and that too partially when the World Cup is running. What more, I didn’t even know what on earth a quarterback means *no rotten eggs please* :p But as the story progressed, I fell in love with this Ryan guy, little by little, as a human being *blush*

I really adored the way their relationship progressed throughout the novel. It seemed to go on a perfect pace. I liked their chemistry, but what I simply loved from the bottom of my heart is the realistic touch given by the author to their relationship. I mean, we often see an ordinary girl and a rich or famous guy’s gooey love story but as we know, reality is way too different than that. A relationship between people like Rachael and Ryan can never be uncomplicated. There will be problems, more coming from within themselves then from the outside, and this is exactly what the author gives us. They both have deep feelings for each other but at the same time have ego problems, communicating issues, different dreams and outlooks toward life. The way they face them, fail and then attempt to solve them is what makes the story all the more exciting.

““I don’t know how to do this, and I get hurt sometimes, and then I want to hurt you back and since I know your weak spots it’s really easy, but I honestly don’t think you’re a dumb jock, I think you’re one of the most intelligent people I know……and even though we fight, I don’t know, I still want to be with you even if we have to spend half our time trying to figure out what we’re doing—””

That’s one of the cutest lines one could ever say to their lover ♥

Apart from these two, the other characters are well built. I liked Abe, gives me the impression of a young, nice and kind hearted fellow. And unlike many other romance novels, this one is not only about the main two lovers, there are interesting sub plots and the characters are not mere fillers. According to me, it’s one of the romance novels you’ll crave to read and finish, then re-read over and over again so that you don’t have to put the book away from you.

ALSO CROSS POSTED ON MY BLOG HERE
At the beginning let's say what I didn't like. I didn't like the cover. I am not at all a fan of western stuff, western setting or outlook give me a feeling of sun and heat and I HATE heat! I do NOT like cowboy hat or apparel...and seriously I still have no idea that why on earth a 'slayer' would wear such skimpy clothes? Isn't he supposed to..like, kill demons? :o (Well it's not like I'm asking for a knight in a shining armor but a little more clothes would have been better!) And apart from the fact that I didn't like the name 'Desire' on a priestess (it could have wonderfully fit if she wasn't one) guess everything else is fine.
The opening of the story is really wonderful and interesting. It reminded me of the style Medias Res, where the story starts fro the middle of things. As I kept on reading I found out about goddesses and demons. Goddesses are for life, nourishment and prosperity whereas the demons are for mishaps, anarchy and chaos. In one word, goddesses are good and demons are evil (so stereotypical huh?)
In this never ending war between the two parties, humans, specifically women seem to be the biggest victims. Since the goddesses have abandoned the earth and it is inhabited by demons and humans only, the demons seem to act at their sweet will. They violently invade women, forces and ravishes them often leaving them pregnant with demon "spawns" that even kills their mothers at the very birth. These spawns are seen as harmful and dangerous and both humans and demons kill them at their very sight.
The real twist is when it's seen that it's actually a goddess who fell in love with a demon and got pregnant afterwards. It's her who we see delivering a baby while counting her last. This baby, Airie, secluded from the world and raised by a Priestess, have no idea about her origin. But there are some who knows there is a female "spawn" who needs to be killed for "peace and justice". Here comes the Hunter.
Like we see in some paranormal romances, the Hunter is assigned to kill the spawn as he is a demon slayer. Airie doesn't fit in the idea of a demon spawn for the Hunter but it's his job. He is all rough and tough, cold- hearted hot guy. He killed his first demon after his sister was made a victim and had died giving birth to a spawn. From that perspective, he hates Airie as she reminds him of what happened to his sister. But the rule of 'forbidden love' is applied here as well. No matter how much they detest each other at first, they are attracted and connected to each other with an undeniable link afterwards. They seem to challenge each other, and at times banish yet balance each other's qualities and powers. I loved the chemistry between them. Though the Hunter sound 'hot, I liked Airie more as a character because she is portrayed as a wonderful person, caring and understanding, who accepts the truth about her with dignity when she finds it out.
The Demon's Daughter is definitely one of the noteworthy paranormal romances I've read so far. The author creates a wonderful paranormal world where humans, goddesses and demons are beautifully juxtaposed. I'll be surely looking forward to reading the next book of the series.

Cross posted at my blog HERE
Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
I'm actually a bit confused about how should I write the review of this book. At times I felt like I should give it no more than 2.5, but then again I felt 2.5 would be much less (in which case I wouldn't have posted the review at all)..and then finally I decided to rate it 3 stars. There were things I liked and things I didn't like. So it was a mix of both.

First the names in the book. I kind of liked the names given to the characters. Names like Mikal, Majam, Talon and others seemed peculiar at first but once I got used to it I kept looking for more. Even the names of the places were interesting (like the Callous Hills).
Second, the time and style of narration. I like when stories are narrated in present tense, gives me a sense of attachment. I liked it here too. But what somehow spoiled the fun here was the way it was used. The author could have made the story more interesting if he had been a little careful.
Third, one of the things I actually liked was that the whole book sounded like a RPG. I am not a big fan of role playing games but I like to watch when others play. It seemed that I am in a game, inside the world of wizards and magic stuff; the only difference was that it's being written rather than seen. But everyone, like RPGs, have a part to play.

Everyone in this group has an important part to play; yours no less than anyone else's.

That's the fun of role playing games...or here, role playing stories.
Fourth and last, and this is wholly a con according to me, is that the characters lacked proper development. I would have loved to see some strong back stories and evolving characters but never got the chance. Every story relies a lot on the characters and without the proper development of them, it's like a headless ram!

Not a too-bad read after all. If you like role playing games and are into wizard things a lot, then I suggest you read this. But there are some things you may face trouble with like I did and you should be ready for that.

THIS IS A CONCISE REVIEW> READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE.
The experience with [b:Requiem|9593913|Requiem (Delirium, #3)|Lauren Oliver|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340992438s/9593913.jpg|14480925]was AMAZING. There are so many things to write, so much to say that I don't even know where to start from! Let's talk about the characters first.I loved Hana. It's really wonderful to see the author dividing the chapters with "LENA" and "HANA" narrations. It makes the story all the more interesting and gives a very clear view to Hana's character. As for Lena, I loved the way her feelings for Alex and Julian are described side by side.

"...I’ve accepted that I will never love Julian as much as I loved Alex. But now that idea is overwhelming, like a wall between us. I will never love Julian like I love Alex.

Like the previous books it was action packed. Hana and Lena's internal as well as external struggle to make things work, for their survival and existence is something very much worth reading.

The ending according to me was a little unexpected. Still, I know, I myself would have stamped it as 'predictable' if the author would have ended the book otherwise. Whatever the ending is, I think it is quite apt for the storyline.

I am sad to have finished reading the book at last. This is probably a problem everyone faces while reading an aswesome series as this one.[a:Lauren Oliver|2936493|Lauren Oliver|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1291156327p2/2936493.jpg] is one hell of an author who knows how to give the readers a perfect dose.

I am sorry, I hated it. This is one of my academic texts and I thought it couldn't be that bad, well it wasn't...it was horrible!

This book reminded me why I don't usually have the patience to write an actual review for books of erotica genre. But better than Shades of Grey according to me.

READ MY REVIEWS AT MY BLOG HERE.
[b:The Monster Exchange Program|15844718|The Monster Exchange Program (the complete series)|Terri Bogard|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360685024s/15844718.jpg|21587694] by Terri Bogard consists of sixteen different stories, about monsters in a high school (a hu-mahn high school!). Each story is peculiarly different than the other.
I liked the stories in general. The characters, the dialogues, and the illustrations- everything is quite different than usual. It portrays the traditional concept of high school with very nontraditional characters doing familiar moves. Sometimes the stories are not complete in them and have links to other stories.
As for the dialogues, I must warn that there are a lot of sexual references in most of the stories. If you are not comfortable or not allowed than please don’t read it until you are. I have no problem regarding this however but still in some places I found myself struggling a bit to get used to the references. Other than that I loved the dialogues. Some of them were simply hilarious according to me!

“When I see you look this good in your werewolf form, it makes me think that maybe there is room for monster-shaped models in the fashion world! I’m telling my mom tonight that I want to be a runway model!”
“If she can’t accept me for who I am, well, then she’ll just have to kill me, melt me down
with her caustic stomach juices and feed me to my little sisters!”

The book is altogether a funny, comic, enjoyable read. Though I personally think it should have an 18+ rating, I would recommend it to the readers who want a good laugh, nothing too deep or serious.

THIS IS A CONCISE REVIEW. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

At first let's talk about the characters. I couldn't get over the fact that Alex is done. I felt like suffering more than Lena! In this book I fell for Lena all the more because of her capability to suffer and fight and ultimately to cope up and transform.

I have read novels where the female or the male lead suffers the loss the loved ones and then they become strong (and healthy!) overnight. Well this always seemed to me a bit non-realistic. In real life, people can never let go of their past, or their loved ones so easily. However, the author seems to understand that very well in this case. Lena's rejuvenation was possible only because Oliver made it possible. From the beginning I see her as the broken person and even before I realize I see her in a completely new light. This, according to me, kind of gives her an epic hero quality.
While on one hand I can't forget Alex :( on the hand I meet some new characters - Raven, Hunter, Tack....and Julian. Gosh I hated him first for being Lena's love interest! But I must say the author knows how to make the readers fall in love with the characters of the book:D

"I wonder if this is how people always get close: They heal each other's wounds; they repair the broken skin."

That's the case with me for Julian I guess lol. He repaired my broken heart after Alex's death :D

The action and the storyline of this second book is as usual awesome. After finishing the book, I was most happy about one thing, I had the third book with me at that moment!! Otherwise I would've gotten a heart attack out of anticipation and tension :p
[b:Pandemonium|9593911|Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)|Lauren Oliver|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310371414s/9593911.jpg|14480923] is one of the best sequels I have ever read.

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I would start off with the positive things first. The story was WONDERFUL. I really really really liked it. Some may say it's a story that is predictable after a few pages or chapters, but I really liked it, no matter what. I am shamelessly partial when reading Gothic or vampire stories, and if that is written in the way the book is, then it's always a thumbs up for me. I loved the dialogues, the setting - almost everything!
There were some minor things I didn't like in the book. The only thing I regard as a considerable con is the development of the characters- all of them.
I mean, there were sooo much room for character development! And characters according to me are something you can never repair once you've drawn them out! I was really hoping for a good character building... at least the portrayal of Dawn, Victor or Michael could have been much better. I could have easily fallen head over heels in love with them :(
It's not like the characters are not well supported, or do not have proper background to them; but I couldn't reach them. I didn't feel like that they were more than just characters from a book, persons living with and around me. Maybe I expect too much from a story I like too much but this part actually disappointed me.
On an overall basis, I would say that this book is actually a very, very good book. The author/s left no room for objection regarding the storyline as I mentioned earlier. The ending is one of the highlights of the story. The story, specially the ending is altogether what makes the story so special and makes me wait for the sequel of this book.