Review: A Stiff Kiss by Avery Olive

title: A Stiff Kiss

written by: Avery Olive

genres: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

page count: 247

publication date: February 12th, 2012

publisher: Crescent Moon Press

Who knew kissing a corpse would change everything?
Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves.
But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia's arms, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up?
With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn't realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she's thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia's this time.

 

**The author provided me with an ecopy of A Stiff Kiss. I was not rewarded for this review with many or any other means of value.**

A Stiff Kiss was so much better than I expected it to be! The book looked not extremely interesting to me at first, but once I opened it and started reading I just fell in love with the whole concept, the characters and the oh-so-addictive story.

Xylia is a goth girl, always dressed in black. She loves to hang out on graveyards, is always close to death. But she also has her girly side. She is in love with Landon, the most popular boy in school. Whe he dies while playing a soccer game, she kind of loses it. As close as she always is to the dead, she is to his dead body. She goes to the morgue and kisses Landon's dead body on the lips. And that's when the ultimate drama sets in. Landon wakes up from death, and the balance between Life and Death is messed up. 

It might sound like a cliché that Xylia -the outcast- is in love with Landon -the hottest guy in her school- but their story is anything but cliché. Landon does partly remember what happened, and he knows that he owes his 'second life' to Xylia, but doesn't understand it, neither does anyone. It is a whole mystery; how is it possible to wake up from death. 

As the story develops, my emotions took over. It was just so cute and cruel at the same time. Just as Landon and Xylia started to really get to know each other, they found out one of them was going to be taken by the Underworld, that demanded a body to maintain the balance between Life and Death. The story was so bittersweet it made me cry at multiple points, and that is quite unique, as I usually don't cry a lot while reading.

This book's writing style fitted  the story perfectly. It is so much better to read romantic parts from 2 points of view, it gives you way moer insight into everything, and makes you feel as is you are standing right there in the middle of the story, next to Landon and Xylia.

Concluding, A Stiff Kiss is a YA novel that should get way more attention, as I believe every lover of PNR will love this novel. The characters were amazing, the story was super interesting and my emotions took over multiple times while reading. I give this novel 4.5 stars!

 Love, 

Mar

Other reviews of 'A stiff Kiss'

Book Whales

Tink's Place 

Procerpine Craving Books

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

title: Masque of the Red Death
written by: Bethany Griffin
genre: Young Adult, Apocalyptic Fiction
page count: 319
publication date: April 24th, 2012
publisher: Greenwillow books
rating: 4.5/5

Everything is in ruins.
A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.
So what does Araby Worth have to live for?
Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.
But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.
And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Masque of the Red Death is one of my books that is out of 'my comfort zone', as far as I have a zone like that. It was horror-like, and I usually don't read horror. Not that I don't like it, because I really do, but just because there are other genres that appeal to me more than YA horror. Griffin made me question myself, should I read more YA horror? Because I simply loved this book! It was not really horror-y, and had just the right amout of everything a good book needs. I will definitely read future books by her, and I will also try the Edgar Allen Poe story this book was based on.

Araby, a girl who lives in a world of terror, disease and death, is the daughter of the inventor that invented the masque that prevents you from contagion of the all-destroying plague. This makes her one of the most important girls in town, and protects her from the plague. All the time she is looking for oblivion. She doesn't want to remember her brother, doesn't want to feel responsible for his death. Her raw emotions make her a very unique character. Then she meets Will, the beautiful boy working at the club. Once she starts to really get to know him, she wants to help him, although this seems impossible. 

The plot twisted in every way possible, it was madness! And I mean that in a positive way :) I don't believe I have read many other YA books as suspenseful as this one. And the romance was just perfect. Will is one of  those cute but broken boys you just want to give hugs, while Elliot is his exact opposite. So yes, love triangle. I know the idea sounds retarted and simply stupid, but this one was just so perfect! I  mean, love triangles usually are one of the most annoying phenomena in YA lit, but it improved this novel.

The writing style of Griffin is not really special, but easy to read. The dialogue was great, the characters had 'depth' and the entire story was told at a high pace to keep it all interesting. 

Griffin portrayed a horrible scenario that appears quite realistic. I absolutely loved everything about 'Masque of the Red Death' and I give this book 4.5 stars. My favorite YA horror novel!

Love,

Mar 

Manga Tuesdays; Sakura-Gari

Manga:  Sakura-Gari (The hunt for cherry blossoms)

Written by:  Watase Yuu

Genres:  Tragedy, History, Psylochical, Yaoi, Josei, Mature

Volumes:  3

Anime: nope

own/ library/ borrowed/ read online (it wasn't in my language so I used the internet to help me understand the story)

Via the site: http://manga.animea.net/sakura-gari.html

completed/ ongoing

publisher: Shogakukan Inc.

Summary:During the Taisho era (1911-1925), 17-year-old Tagami Masataka hoped to integrate in a preparatory school in Tokyo. In order to provide for himself, he became a servant to the Soma family. Their 25-year-old son, Saiki, is scheming while his family hides dark secrets.Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=9867

Review:

At first it was a little bit difficult to read, because I don't know a thing about the Taisho era, at least, that's what I thought, it turned out I was thinking way too difficult...

The story is about Masataka and his master and the young master of the house: Souma Saiki (from now on referred to as Souma), who is wanted by everyone, because of his doll-like looks. Masataka moves in as a servant in the household of Souma to earn money to pay his school fees and he finds out there's something strange going on with this household. So have almost all servant run away and has wife of the master (not the mother of Souma, he's an illegitimate child) of the family committed suicide He gets along great with Souma, he even sees him as an old brother, but still everyone keeps telling him he should run away. But Masataka, who was sold when he was little and after that brought up in  a family where he would always come second because of his sickly younger brother, is to happy that someone finally likes him. After an accident with a former employee of the family in the old resident of the lady, this resident gets on fire and Masataka saves a young girl who was locked inside. He had never seen this girl before, but she turns out to be Soumas half sister. She tells him that Souma killed her mother and to look inside box inside the old resident and that's how Masataka finds out that Souma is having sex with people for the company of his father and later his own company, but also killed people. But Souma catches him looking around and rapes him, though he loves him. After that Masataka is frightened of Souma, while Souma keeps raping him, unable to express his love otherwise. As the story continues, Masataka gets more messed up and Souma eventually stops raping him, but keeps touching him, so Masataka won't gain his trust in Souma again. It isn't till the last chapter that the two make up, but still the story has a sad ending which I won't spoil for you :).

Well as you see of the length of my summary (I write a longer summary because then I'm like: o, o, this was also beautiful, they also have to read this!), I quite loved this manga. It's was a beautiful tragedy and for ones it really ended like a tragedy should, at least, that's what I thought (I cried really hard and that's what should happen). I really loved how messed up the characters were/became and how I wasn't bothered by the fact that it was a historical story. The art was beautiful, although I thought that there wasn't a lot of difference between the really beautiful people and the just normal people, which is why you really had to know that Souma-sama is doll-like looking.  

Rating:

4.5 stars (not 5 because it's too damn early in the morning)

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

Tour stop - Going under by Georgia Cates

Hi everyone - I've got a very exiting tour stop for you today. I will post a review, excerpt of the book and an author profile. Just so much awesomeness! Let's start with the general information and the review :)


Going Under by Georgia Cates
contemporary romance, young adult
published March 10th, 2012 by Georgia Cates
buy on Amazon / view on Goodreads

the book:
Jessie Boone is a self proclaimed bad boy and doesn’t march to the beat of anyone’s drum, but his own. Growing up in less than desirable circumstances has made him no stranger to the hard knock life and his determination to leave it behind is fierce. When he finds himself transferred to East Franklin High School, he sees his opportunity to use his athletic ability to snag a college football scholarship, but Forbes Henderson, the player Jessie means to replace isn’t giving up his spot willingly. In fact, Forbes is willing to go to extreme measures to retain his place as first string quarterback. When Forbes’ malicious plan to injure his replacement fails, Jessie is furious and determined to show him he messed with the wrong person; not only is he going to take the position of first string quarterback, he’s going to take his girl, too.


Claire Deveraux is perfection at it’s best. She is beautiful, intelligent and unaware she just became Jessie Boone’s conquest as revenge against her boyfriend, Forbes Henderson. Like her flawless performance as the perfect daughter and student, Claire’s production of being the perfect girlfriend has everyone fooled, except Jessie Boone, and she fears this tattooed bad boy will see her secret desire to explore his crude threats and promises to rock her perfect world. If she decides to give in to one uninhibited moment with Jessie, will she learn too late that it was all an act of vengeance or will Jessie learn the taste of first love is sweeter than that of revenge?

my review:

this book is great! I immediately fell in love with the characters, which were so greatly developed. Also, the romance in this book was terrific. And have you already looked at the cover? I love it!

Immediately after reading the first page, Jessie´s character intigued me. He was this cool boy, that does never show his problems to anyone else. He slightly reminded me of Cassandra Clare´s Jace, my fictional crush, so that´s 100% positive :) Then there was the stereotype perfect all-american girl, Claire Deveraux. She is the girl next door. The one no-one hates, the one that is nice to everybody, and will never hurt anyone. Until she does... The other characters mentioned in this book also were great :)

The story told in this book was funny, simple, and I loved it! The romance really made this book into a page-turner I couldn't put down. It also shows that not everyone is as perfect as they seem, and that perfect on the outside most of the times means completely messed up from the inside. And I like that, since nobody's perfect in my opinion, and it would be horrible if most people were perfect, because that would mean that all non-perfect people were outcasts, and that would just be wrong...

The pace of this story was great, with exactely enough happening at every page :D also, I loved the writing style of Georgia Cates. I occasionally read books which are written very badly, and that annoys me a lot. This one I had no problems with, none at all.
This book made me laugh, a lot. But it also made my cry, angry or just crazy. And that's why I loved it so much!!!


A must for every teenage girl that loves romance and tragedy, or just likes to have a quick and fun read.


rating: 
5 stars


Now I will move on to the excerpt - fun, right?

We pulled into the parking lot of the school and Payton parked behind the sexy badass’ junked out truck. He was still sitting in his old clunker and I thought I saw a cigarette in his hand, then he confirmed my suspicion when I saw him raise it to his lips for a drag and the tip glowed fiery orange. Gross.
“Why did you have to park behind him?” I huffed as I felt heat rise to my neck and face.
“What’s your deal with him, Claire?” she asked, then looked at me and said, “Your face is beet red. What is wrong with you? Are you blushing?”
Getting out of the car at the same time meant walking into school next to him and that wouldn’t make Forbes happy. Payton didn’t understand the ruckus this would cause because she didn’t have a boyfriend and it didn’t help matters that she couldn’t stand Forbes. She thought I was weak and trying to please him, but the truth was that I just didn’t feel like hearing Forbes whine anymore.
“I want to avoid the need to explain to Forbes why I’m walking into school with the guy he hates. It will just start an unnecessary argument I don’t want to have first thing this morning.”
“With the risk of repeating myself, screw Forbes. I’m not parking in the back of the parking lot and walking an extra mile to spare his insecure feelings and if you have to explain that, then you should dump his ass.”
I knew she was right. I was a poodle jumping through hoops to keep the peace and it was ridiculous in addition to exhausting.
“I’m not arguing how ridiculous it is, but can we at least get ahead of him so I don’t have to explain why we’re walking in together?” I pleaded.
She huffed and said, “This is friggin’ ridiculous, you know that, right? Your life might revolve around what Forbes Henderson wants, but mine doesn’t.”
When Payton didn’t move fast enough to suit me, I scrambled out of her car, leaving her behind. I watched a cigarette butt fly out of the new guy’s driver’s side window and then his door swung open in front of me, preventing my escape. He stepped out of his truck, looked down at me and grinned as he said, “Pardon me, Princess. I didn’t mean to block your way.”
His voice was velvety smooth, but I didn’t mistake its coolness as his tone conveyed his contempt for me. His unmistakable disdain for me immediately raised my hellcat flag because he had nothing to base his aversion on since he didn’t know me.
This was our first time face to face and up close. The other times I saw him was when I stole a few glances during cheerleading practice over the last two weeks when I was certain Forbes wasn’t watching me.
I realized he was so much more handsome than I originally thought now that his face mask wasn’t obstructing my view. His hair was as black as I expected, and spikey, and his pale blue eyes were piercing. The contrast of their paleness against his dark hair was almost shocking and I had to force myself to avoid becoming lost in them.
I was angry with him for making assumptions about me, but I was more furious with myself for finding him so captivating. I tasted my bitter reaction as it formed on my tongue, but couldn’t stop myself from blurting out, “Asshole.”
He placed his hand over the left side of his chest where his heart would be and said, “I felt that straight to my heart.”
I watched him shut his door while he waited for my counterattack and I pushed past him as I said, “Screw you and my name is not Princess. It’s Claire, so if you’re going to insult me, at least have the decency to get my name right.”
“Hmm, I think I’ll stick with Princess. It seems to suit you better,” he said to my back as I walked away.
I couldn’t be certain flames weren’t coming off the heels of my boots as I practically ran away, but Payton managed to catch up with me and said, “I’m totally disgusted by you, Claire.”
“And why would that be?” I almost yelled.
“That was one of the best displays of underthinking I’ve ever seen. He bested you and I know I taught you better than that. You basically rolled over. How can I call you my best friend when you caved so easily? And by the way, you’ve got something on your ass.”
I spun around to look at the back of my dress as I pulled the skirt part around to look and said, “What is it?”
“Hot New Guy’s eyes.” She died out laughing and said, “Sorry, Claire, but you walked right into that one.”
I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips as I said, “Maybe you’re the bigger asshole of the two of you. You should definitely be a couple.”
“That lacked creativity and it’s insulting to me as your slander master. We have to work on your comebacks because you are seriously letting me down,” she said, then added, “I wish you could see your face right now. Whatever he just did to you has you clueless. You can’t decide if you should be pissed off at him or hot for him.”
I turned to look at this crazy person I called a bestie standing next to me. “I’m jealous of whatever you are smoking because it has you completely reality challenged.”
“He got it all wrong when he called you Princess. He should have called you Queen of Denial because you’ll never admit what’s going on here,” she accused.
It was just like Payton to draw a conclusion with no real evidence to support her theory. “I have no idea what kind of nonsense you’re talking about.”
“I hope he got plenty of rest last night because his legs are gonna be real tired after he runs through your mind all day,” she laughed, making me livid.
I noticed myself stomping as I walked toward the school entrance. “You must have taken your sleeping pill this morning instead of last night because you are definitely dreaming.”
“When you look back on this moment months from now, don’t forget the one word I’m about to say to you, Claire Deveraux. Foreplay.”

awesome, right? my favourite part is the - you've got something on your ass - joke ^^

now I will post the character profiles - enjoy!

The Main Characters of Going Under by Georgia CatesWhen developing characters, a writer must have a complete sense of who the character is and everything that influences who they are-beginning from birth and ending in the presence. Although I can’t include every detail of a character’s life, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I use Character Profiles to acquaint myself with the personality of my characters and I will be sharing a few of those with you today. Who is Jessie Boone?
Born 1994 in a rural town outside of Franklin, Tennessee to Twyla Boone. His mother won’t be winning the parent of the year award and his father won’t either because he has never been in his life. Jessie seriously doubts his mother really even knew who fathered him.
Jessie is the eldest of 3 children. His two young brothers, Ozzy (5) and Harley (4), are placed in foster care after “The Incident”. Jessie has primarily been the only parental figure in the life of his two little brothers and desperately wants to find a way to get custody of them.
Jessie has little self worth, yet he is strong. He is damaged by his childhood and outwardly puts on a tough exterior to prevent others from hurting him. He acts as though nothing can touch him.How did Jessie come to know Earl, his boss at the garage?Because Jessie’s mother was always drunk or high, he was often left alone to fend for himself. One day after being left alone, he wondered down the street to the garage owned by Earl. He and Earl become “pals” and Jessie begins to do a little work around the place in exchange for money. Over the years, he learns about engines from Earl and begins to work for him at the garage when he is old enough. Jessie loves Earl like a father and considers him family more than his own grandmother.Who is Claire Deveraux?Born in 1993 in Franklin, Tennessee. The youngest of three children-one older brother and one older sister. Her mother is a psych counselor and her father is a physician. She is the complete opposite of Jessie in every way. She grew up in a loving home and is rightly considered overprivileged by Jessie.
She is considered East Franklin’s sweetheart. Everyone loves her and things tend to consistently go her way. Outwardly, she appears to have it all. Inwardly, she feels desperate to escape the persona others have of her. She doesn't want to be the perfect “Goody Goody” everyone believes she is.
Claire is the pretty princess Jessie believes she is, but her character adapts after meeting Jessie. Readers will tend to not like her very much in the beginning of the story, but fall in love with her as she reveals her true self.

author spotlight:

In addition to being an author Georgia is a wife, mother of two daughters and a labor and delivery nurse.


She recently added Paranormal Romance Writer to her list of things that keep her busy, but she is ecstatic to release her debut novel, Blood of Anteros, the first book in The Vampire Agápe Series.


Like others that enjoy a great story of paranormal romance, she is easily bored by the tale of an obtainable, ordinary romance and was inspired to create The Vampire Agápe Series. When not tied up with family or delivering babies, she is working feverishly on the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series. 


Visit her site at http://georgiacates.com/ and make sure to like her on facebook and follow her on twitter!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Georgia-Cates/213130102082500

http://twitter.com/#!/GeorgiaCates

I hope you enjoyed this tour stop. I did enjoy creating it, a lot :) Thanks to bewitching book tours and Georgia Cates to make it possible to write it :D


xo Mar

Torn by Stephanie Guerra

book: Torn

written by: Stephanie Guerra
series? nope
genre: young adult, romance, drama
pages: 263
publication date: April 1st, 2012
publisher: Marshall Cavendish Press


first thoughts: Thanks a lot, Netgalley and Marshall Cavendish! I loved this book, and I think lots of teenage girls should read this, it will help them a lot in their lives!

the book: 
Stella Chavez is your classic good girl: straight As, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer trophies . You’d never guess that Stella’s dad was a drug addict who walked out when she was a kid. Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more.


New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella’s polar opposite: cursing, smoking, and teetering in sky-high heels . But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another world—a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn’t be tried once.


It’s not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she’s ever had and the friends she’s known forever, between her family and her own independence, between who she was and who she wants to be.


But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn’t show anyone—not even Stella. As Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the ultimate betrayal.

my review: 

Stepanie Guerra created a book lots of teenage girls will love. Even though it's not the genre I like best, I loved this book, and want to read more by the author, Stephanie Guerra.

The main character in this book, Stella, really is a good girl, but will she turn into a good girl gone bad? She is someone I'dlove to be friends with! She takes care of her brother and sister, and acts as if she is an adult, but never complains to others how much her life sucks. Then there comes the new girl, that is completely different, and she decides to give her a shot, which immediately made me love her. No love at first sight for her, which is another + :D

Then there is the other important character, Ruby. She is the exact opposite of Stella, but I adored her too, or at least in some parts of the book. She is the one that always chooses dare with thruth or dare. She's the one that will never abandon you, and the one that loves you as a sister. She's the one with a hard life you don't know about until it's too late, just because she is such a great actor. 

This book showed me the value of friendship. Also, boyfriends were not the #1 priority for Stella, and that was great. She had a life, even without a boyfriend. Some other YA books make me wonder if the characters would survive a week without their boyfriends. *FYI, that's a bad thing ;)*

The story starts happy, and everything's ok. But of course, it turns around, and drama takes over. And not only whiny-girl drama... Stella has to make some serious decisions, and will she choose the right thing. Will there even be a right thing to choose?

The writing style of Stephanie is great, and the pace of the story was perfect, there was happening enough, and not too much in each chapter. 

A fun read that includes some difficult choices, a lot of drama and everything a teenage girl can ask for.

rating:

4.5 stars, a great debut novel!

about the author:

Stephanie Guerra has an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame. She teaches children’s literature and a seminar in writing instruction at Seattle University. She also teaches creative writing at King County Jail, and researches and speaks about literacy instruction for at-risk and incarcerated young adults. She would like to encourage her readers to donate used books to juvenile correctional facilities. Stephanie lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and children. TORN is her first novel. visit her site: http://www.stephanieguerra.com/

xo Mar

The Vampire diaries the Awakening and the Struggle by L.J. Smith

book: The Awakening and the Struggle
written by: L.J. Smith
series? The Vampire diaries #1 & #2
genres: paranormal romance, young adult
pages: 492
publication date: July 26th, 2007
publisher: HarperTeen


first thoughts:
I loved the TV series *watching season 3 now* and I had been thinking about picking this book up for a long time, so when I walked into the library and I saw it on their shelves, I just couldn't leave it there. So I borrowed it. And I read it :) *wasn't that obvious*

the book:
Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants.


Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can resist Elena, even as he struggles to protect her from the horrors that haunt his past.


Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Determined to have Elena, he'd kill to possess her.

my review:

Well, first of all, after seeing the TV series this was very confusing. The books were nothing like the TV series, but I think that was a good thing. Otherwise I'd already know what was going to happen and stuff, and now it was all one big surprise. Great!

The characters are great here, even though they are the usual love triangle. 

The standard recipe for a love triangle:

1) take a beautiful girl that can't choose between boy a) and boy b)

2) take 2 boys ( a and b) that both love the girl. One should be sweet and kind, and kind of boring. The other one, however, should be a total bad boy from the outside, who's actually sweet from the inside, but never shows. 

3) now add a lot of drama and awkwardness, and your love triangle is complete!

The love triangle in this book was very much like that, but I honestly didn't care. The amazing thing about the vampire diaries is that it includes vampires, witches and all other kinds of things, but still is easy to read and easy to process for your brains.
The first and second book both were equally great, IMO. I couldn't stop reading this.
I can't review part 2 properly without spoiling part 1, so I won't do that :s
Well, I prefered part 2 over part 1, which is very strange, because most of the times I don't like sequels at all, but this one was good, mainly because Damon was in it <3 *sigh*
The girl *Elena* was a little bit whiny at some parts of the book, but not annoyingly whiny, if you get what I mean. The love triangle in this book was not boring. It wasn't a triangle, actually, more like a 2 hot boys 1 hot girl book. Most of the times those books are just not my thing, but these ones definitely were!
After reading this, I watched a new episode of the Vampire Diaries, and I immediately saw things I had never seen, because of the new info the book had given to me. So that was awesometastic, because I love the tv show :)


A must for every The Vampire Diaries fan, and definitely not boring when you've already watched the series!


rating: 4.5 stars


xo Mar

Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children by Ransom Riggs

book: Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children
written by: Ransom Riggs
series: nope
genres: historical, fantasy, young adult
pages: 352
own / library /  borrowed
publication date: June 7th, 2011
publisher: Quirk books


first thoughts:
Ohmygosh finally! I had been waiting for months to read this book, and then a friend of mine walked around with this book in her bag. Seriously, I almost robbed her *no, just kidding, I'd never do that (A)* She let me borrow it if I finished it over the weekend, and so I did. Actually, I finished the first 80% on friday :D This book is looks so good and it didn't disappoint me at all. And the cover is so beautiful!

the book: 
A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of very curious photographs.


It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

my review:

Oh my gosh. That's what I repeated a zillion times after I had finished this book. Still repeating it now, as you might have noticed in my blog post :s

I could think of dozens of words to describe this book, but I think peculiar is the best. Because this book was nothing like anything I have ever read. It was filled with vintage pictures, that went pretty well with the story, and they made the story more realistic. And that's an amazing thing, to make a fantasy novel seem realistic!

The children in this book terrified me in the beginning. 80-year-olds trapped in children's bodies? That must be horrible for them. But then I started looking at their behaviour, and I figured that their appearance matched the way they behaved, and only the things they knew didn't match their bodies. Wouldn't their brains have outgrown their bodies? :)

The story in this book was sometimes hard to follow, becaurse there was so much happening. If this book was twice as thick, I think there still would be happening a lot. Even when you didn't read 1 or 2 lines, the story would make no sense at all. I had to re-read an entire chapter after I put the book down, just to remember everything important that had happened. The author really put lots of information in a relatively short story.

There was a lot of character development, which is great. I don't like a book when the characters don't develop at all. The developing of a character makes the character seem human, and not just a few drops of ink.

The story told in this book intrigued me a lot. I held my breath reading it and finished it as soon as I could. I wanted to know how it ended so badly! Luckily, I didn't make the mistake I made while reading the last Harry Potter book *MASSIVE SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HP7* . I *accidentely* read the final 2 words: "Harry said." And well, that spoiled the entire book... 

There was a little romance in this book, but not much, just enough.

A very original book for both teens and adult that freaked me out, made me swoon and every other emotion in between. Definitely a must for all fantasy-lovers!

rating: 

4.5 stars

xo Mar

Where she went by Gayle Forman

book: Where she went
written by: Gayle Forman
genres: romance, young adult
pages: 264
own / library / borrowed
publication date: April 5th, 2011
series? If I stay #2
publisher: Dutton Juvenile


note: I reviewed #1 of the series. You can find it HERE. If you haven't read If I stay, this review will contain spoilers!

the book: 
It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.


Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

my review: 

This book was nothing like I expected it to be! First of all, the point of view was Adam's, and not Mia's. I liked that, actually. When I started reading this book I was a little worrie; would the author be able to write a sequel to If I stay that was as great as the first installment in the series, from a male POV. But Gayle Forman did it!
What could possibly change in 3 years? *Well, A lot, I know...* In this book I found out that we all have the oppotunities, we just have to take them and hold on to them, and we might just get what we want. Also, it told me about dreams and how they can turn into our worst nightmares.
When I found out that Adam and Mia broke up during the 3-year interval between If I stay and Where she went, my heart broke. They were such a good couple! Then I found out that both Mia and Adam became successful with their music careers, and I liked it. The author did not make the life of a rock star seem like a fairy tale, more like one of the worst nightmares from which you can't wake up. Rock stars and other celebrities really are people, we just forget that sometimes...
Adam and Mia both had developed a lot between book 1 and 2. The had hardened. And this was not only because of their new lifestyles. Of course, Mia had to live without her family after the accident, something that must be one of the hardest things you have to do. Continue your life without the people that are your life. Then she breaks up with her boyfriend, and there's no-one left who loves her. Or at least, that's what I first thought. Of course, there were still her grandparents and friends. Friends really are important! Then there is Adam. He became a celebrity, not only his way of speaking changed a lot, but there was something else. He became more honest then he was before. There were some lyrics of the songs of his band written above every chapter, and everytime you read his honest words, pure and from the heart, and you could almost see his tears.And all of those songs are for Mia. They are heartbreaking!
The pace of this book was average. Sometimes it was a little boring, but it was not too slow. Also, the writing style was great, just like it was in If I stay!


An exiting read that you won't be disappointed by after reading If I stay. A worthy sequel!


rating: 
4.5 stars


xo Mar

Plague by Michael Grant

Yo peeps, whats up?
First book I re-read in 2012 FTW

book:  Plague
written by:  Michael Grant
genres: Sci-Fi, Horror, Young Adult, fantasy
pages: 497
own / library / borrowed
release date: April 5th, 2011
series?: yes, Gone #4
publisher: Katherine Tegen Books


note:  I actually re-read this book pretty soon after reading it. I read this book in august 2011, and loved it. Now I re-read it in Dutch, and I figured out that I had forgotten lots of things that happened. Definitely not a bad choice to re-read this book!


the book: The life in the FAYZ continues. But there are new obstacles to overcome. There is a kind of flu pandemic that kills people by letting them cough up their organes, there are some strange green bugs that eat their way through you. More of the horror. And that's not all; there also is the Drake/Brittany creature that tries to fight its way to the Gaiaphage, the creator of the FAYZ and the murderer of many innocent kids. Will the kids of the FAYZ survive, or will life in the FAYZ end...?


my review:
I love the series. It is kind of horror-like, so slightly out of my comfort zone, but still I will call this book epic awesomeness. (okay, I call almost everything Epic Awesomeness, but this time I mean it!) What makes this series so special to me? I think it is that the characters are sometimes hardly human (like; when they burn things or run too quick or remove gravity...) but they keep on thinking as if they are as human as possible. This book kind of got the same old, in the beginning. But then people started to die and stuff and it got awesome. (no, I'm not someone who loves people dying, I just like to read stories about dying people ;) ) Then there is this Drake/Brittany thing that totally got my attention. I mean, 2 zombies in 1. best invention ever?! Also the way they behave is so totally different I would almost say that it's impossible.
Then there are the many POV's. You can read from Sam's, Astrid's, Orc's, Albert's, Drake/Brittany's Pete's and Sanjit's POV, and I think there are even more I have forgotten. It is extraordinairy for a book to have so many POVs! But it is great to keep the book changing all the time.
I still do not like Astrid, and still have lots of respect for Sam. I still don't like that every child is dying, but still love to read about it. I still want to know all FAYZs secrets, and I still want to read the next part. I still won't give up on these series, and I still want Orc to go to rehab :$
But I have to admit that the series would have been better if it had been written in 3 parts max. 6 is a little bit overdone... 


total:
4.5 stars :D


xo Mar

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

book: the host


written by: Stephenie Meyer
# of pages, my version: 829 O.o
own / library / ebook ?
series: yes, the host series, #1
date of publication: May 6th, 2008
paperback / hardcover / ebook?



note:
I did not expect much of this book, because there was standing 'By the author of the twilight saga' but is was so much better!! Haters of twilight will likely not hate this book. I only started reading it because it is one of the books I own (No, I do not own a lot of books, sadly) and I did not regret my decision!!


The book:
SPOILER-FREE
the world is invaded by aliens. They have taken over almost every human, using them as hosts for themselves. They do nothing bad, they just take over their bodies. (Wait, that is bad...)
There is this female spirit, called wanderer. She goes to the planet earth, her 9th planet, and goes into the body of Melanie, one of the last humans on planet earth. Melanie is special, she cannot be supressed by Wanderer.
Wanderer has a mission. She has to find other human being, and bring them to her Seeker. Only Melanie does not agree on that. Together, Wanderer and Melanie move towards the desert, where they will find Jared and Jamie, lover and brother of Melanie.
They do almost die in the desert, but what happens after that...
I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU :P
sorry :) 


my opinion:
On the characters:
I like the creepy frienship-sisterlike thingy between Melanie and Wanderer
I LOVE IAN <3
TEAM IAN
TEAM IAN
TEAM IAN
TEAM IAN
TEAM IAN
...
and I want Jamie as my own brother, he seems so cute. No, wait, I want him as my boyfriend, since he and I are about the same age (A)
And, sorry Jared, Melanie, ... but I do NOT LIKE JARED
seriously, he sees his big love again, and her eyes are different and he hates her. (okay, I kinda get it, but -.-)
whatever...


on the way the book was written:
Great, normal english, not too easy or difficult, not too girly, 9/10


on the book:
Like this. Love/Hate relationships <3
Love most of the characters
and, this book kinda frightens me of aliens... :$ (fail, I know)


on the cover:
CREEPINESS!!! I do most certainly NOT like the cover. Also, this book wil sell a way better if they remove every twilight-ish thing from the cover. But they are right when they say : "never judge a book by its cover" !


so total:
I am going to give this book 4.3 stars / 5


SUPER SPOILER!
I loved the book, but I totally hate this kind of happy endings Stephenie Meyer writes. Too twilight-ish. Somewhere deep inside I think it would have been better if Wanda had died. But when she did not, I did feel kinda relieved she survived... 
(I'm a kinda tragedy person...)


extra: there's a the host movie coming up :)


Next review will be either:
1) Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margareth Stohl
2) Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare
HELP ME DECIDE, CUZ I CANNOT!!


xoxo Margot