Rapture by Lauren Kate

title: Rapture
written by: Lauren Kate
series: Fallen #4
genres: young adult, paranormal romance
pagecount: 452
publication date: June 21st, 2012

The sky is dark with wings . . .
And time is running out for Luce and Daniel.
In order to stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the Fall began. Only Luce can break the curse, and it is her choice alone that will decide all of their fates.
But as Dark Forces gather, great sacrifices will have to be made in this final, epic struggle . . .
In the fight for Luce, and for Love, who will win?

"Tell them it's happening. That an endgame has been initiated"

First of all I want to say the most positive thing about this book. The Cover. I abso-freakin'-lutely love the covers of the fallen series' books! Their covers, together with the interesting plot of the first book, lured me into reading this series. And to be honest, I'm glad it's done... 

Luce and Daniel's romance is weird, and I don't like it. It's so enormously cheesy! Daniel's love is 'everlasting' and Luce's love is destroying her. Literally! But their romance is the most important thing in the universe. The difference between good and bad. One tiny decision, and it could ruin everything.


There was some action in this book, which I kinda liked, but most of it ended with Luce and Daniel kissing because they didn't lose each other and whatever. But I guess some people like that stuff. Not me, I'm not that kind of girl...


The struggle between good and evil is a commonly written about subject. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. With the fallen series, I'm not sure whether I like it or not. I love the whole fallen angel thing, since they are such mysterious creatures, and their struggle between good and evil is fascinating, but still, that the entire series is centered around a tragic romance is not what I was looking for.


Since this was the conclusion to the Fallen series, I was expecting answers to all my questions. And I had a lot of them! Most of them were about Cam, Arianne and Roland, my 3 favorite characters from this series. But I didn't get my answers. And that's what dissatisfied me a lot about this book. I was expecting more.


Again, the cheesy romance was my main problem. Here's a short quote that states the whole problem:
"All he knew was that being seperated from Lucinda was not a punishment that he could endure. They had to be together."


Altogether I will give this book 2 stars. A book I would recommend only to the fallen fandom and other people who have read and liked the other installments in this series.


Love,
Mar

Legend by Marie Lu

title: Legend
written by: Marie Lu
series: Legend #1
genres: Young Adult, dystopian
page count: 305
publication date: November 29th, 2011
published by: Putnam Juvenile

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.


From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

"I'd once been fascinated by his legend - all the stories I'd heard before I met him"

I am in love with this book! Seriously, why haven't I read it earlier. It's a perfect mixture of romance, suspense and mystery, set in the future. How can anyone not like that?! And isn't that cover gorgeous?

Set in the Republic, a dystiopian version of the western US, we meet June and Day. They were born in different families, and raised in different ways, as different as possible! June was the Republic's soldier, one of the smartest of them all. And Day was a rebel, always fighting for his families' lives and health. Day hides his true identity, and he has some good reasons for that. His own mother doesn't even know that he is alive. That's how the book starts: "My mother thinks I'm dead". This really sucked me into the story, and I couldn't put it down. I was even reading while having dinner. Isn't that crazy? (well, to me it isn't...)

The plot of this book was full of suspense, and interesting at all times. I wanted to know about Day and June, and what they had to do with each other. And I wanted to find out what really happened. The most interesting thing about this book was the Plague. Plagues always make me interested in books, and this plague was so horrible and terrifying I just wanted to read it more and more and more! Also, the book was dystopia, and I'm a total sucker for that genre. This book is actually worthy to be called dystopia. Some 'dystopian' books out there just aren't worth that title. 

Day and June both were amazing characters. They were both extremely complicated, and their lives had been a mess. Then they meet, and BOOM! But they don't know who the other one is. Then June finds out that Day is the boy that killed her brother. The way Lu wrote that extremely emotional part is just amazing. It really made me think, how would I react if some guy I kind of liked supposedly killed my sister (since I don't have a brother). 

This story is told in 2 POV's. June's and Day's. That definitely added something to the book. Following to characters that were so different, yet so alike. Their ways of reacting to things that happen to them are so alike, although their lives are so distinct. I honestly have no idea if I'd have liked this book if it was written from only 1 POV. 

Just a quote I wanted to share with you guys. It really shows what I love about this book and the amazing way it's written: 

"Each day means a new twenty four hours. Each day mmeans everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time."

Prodigy, the next installment in this series, definitely is worth the wait. I just want to know what happens to all characters, including Day, June, Kaede and Tess. I honestly have no idea if Prodigy can be as good as Legend, but I will pray for it to be just as awesome. All pray to the lord of awesomeness *bows*

my conclusion: 5/5 stars!
A book every sucker for YA dystopia will love, a must-read for 'the Hunger Games', 'Divergent' and 'Chaos Walking' fans that are looking for new books and above all a great novel all audiences will love.

Love,

Mar

Manga Tuesdays; Mars

Manga:  Mars

Written by:  Fuyumi Soryo             

Genres: Romance, shoujo, mature, drama

Volumes:  15

Anime: no, there is a drama though, don't know if it any good

own/ library/ borrowed/ read online

read online via the sites: www.manga.animea.net and www.mangareader.com

completed/ ongoing

publisher: Kondansha/ Tokyopop

Summary: Kira believes that Rei and all other men in the world are dirty. She stays away from her classmates, hiding in her art. What happens when the delinquent motorcyclist and playboy, Rei, gets ahold of one of her drawings, and actually wants to keep it?source: http://www.mangareader.net/mars 

Review:

This is from the drama 

I loved this manga sooo much! It's such a basic story and I know it's a bit of a cliché, I mean the nerd and the delinquent theme? Really? But it's such a pure story and it was written/drawn so well! I could seriously feel the butterflies in my stomach and their love and their desire. Also, I usually am very annoyed by the female lead of the story but Kira is amazing. She is the shy, lovable kind of girl, and actually she isn't much different from most female leads, but it just fits her and the story or something, or maybe that's just me, anyway I love her. It also may be because she loves to draw, which is my favourite thing in the world, so yeah. Now you might think that it is really very different from other shoujo's, but it isn't. There still are the usual overdramatic events, like, Rei with his dark past and also Kira's dark past, not getting accepted by family, Rei who gets more and more professional with motercycling, etc.

The art is really cute and beautiful. The manga is pretty old, so the hairstyles and stuff are all pretty old school. but it isn't really bothering.

Now I'm going to watch the drama, if you want to know how it was just leave a comment :P

Rating:

5/5 stars :D

Some things about manga for non-manga readers :P :

Manga is a Japanese cartoon or comic. There are lots of them in all kind of different genres (really from porn to manga for little girls). Of most mangas there is a new chapter released every month, so that's why some are ongoing (it also can be that the translation group is a bit slow. DON'T EVER GET ANGRY BECAUSE OF THAT THOUGH! Manga's are translated by volunteers, and not very much people speak both English and Japanese well enough to translate them. If your bothered by it, join such a group! They are always looking for new members! Also editors and cleaners are needed!).

If you are too lazy to read, of most mangas there is an anime to watch ;)

If you consider reading manga pay attention! Manga is written from right to left!

some terms:

Shoujo= Manga for mostly teenage girls (it can be very childish, it can be really mature)

Shounen= Manga for mostly teenage boys (example: Naruto )

Josei= Manga for older women (the manga site says: late teenage and adult audiences, this is usually because the characters in the manga are not in high school anymore, this doesn't mean it's not fun to read if you are younger)

Seinen= Manga for older men (also for late teenage and adult audiences, also usually fun to read if you're younger)

School life= is sometimes quite interesting because the japanese school life seems very different than what I am used to

Shoujoai= girls love

Shounenai= boys love

Yuri = let's just say: the more advanced version of girls love

Yaoi= the more advanced version of boys love

Giveaway (INT) + review: Florence by Ciye Cho

Today is the release day of Florence, a YA mermaid book written by Ciye Cho. You can read more about it in the blurb. Firstly I will review it, to give you a first impression of the book. Secondly. the author was so nice he wanted to do a giveaway of an ecopy of Florence. If you are interested, you can enter :) Enjoy!


title: Florence
written by: Ciye Cho
genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
release date: July 1st, 2012

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.


Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

After reading the first two chapters to see whether I should accept the author´s review request or not, I was completely hooked into this story. The main character, Florence, is one I could relate to very easy, which is one of the best things about this book. Also, it was about mermaids. I just read my first mermaid book, and I just fell in love with the whole mermaid thing. Mermaids really are fascinating beings!

The whole story starts with an introduction to Florence Waverly. She is not like the others, she doesn´t really look like they do, and above all, she doesn´t really feel ´home´. On a school trip, she gets kidnapped, and that´s where it gets interesting.

She is brought to Niemela, as a gift to Prince Kiren, but Kiren -and the other Niemelans- don't want her. After some time is is accepted, and she starts to live a normal life, except that it is under water. She finds out more and more about the world she now lives in, and about the Darkness, that might end the entire world under sea. She may even play a decisive role in the battle! 


Niemela is a wonderful world full of surprises, in which I'd love to live. Niemela, with every being living together in harmony, must be one of the greatest places you could possibly live. If only Niemela were a real life place, and I could breath underwater... 

The 2 boys in this book, Kiren and Rolan, both were extremely attractive, and if I were Florence I would be totally overwhelmed by them. The 'love triangle' , a phenomenon I usually don't like, was not annoying at all! It actually improved this book! Yay :)

The writing style of Ciye Cho is really nice to read. The book is not extremely difficult to read, but I still learned some English words from it, which I really like. It didn't take a very long time to read Florence. Actually, I was wishing for more when the book ended!

Altogether I give this book 4 stars, and I truly recommend you to buy it, or at least enter the giveaway to win it! A book everyone who likes paranormal romance, mermaids will love, and a fun read for all!

book trailer: 

the Giveaway

Do you want to read Florence, too? Please enter this giveaway. Don't leave your email address in the comments!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


about the author: 
Ciye Cho lives in Australia and works as a graphic designer. He writes YA novels in his free time--and his head is often lost in the clouds or some place far from reality...
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